India

House of the People

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
544
Women
75
Percentage of women
13.8%

Speaker

No information available

Secretary general

No information available

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2024-06)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 2 36 40 49 142 149 49 1 0 468
Female 0 5 9 6 15 24 12 3 0 0 74
Totals per age interval 0 7 45 46 64 166 161 52 1 0 542
Total <= 45: 98 Total >= 46: 444
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
1.3% 0.4% 0.9%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
9.6% 7% 2.6%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
18.1% 14% 3.7%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Yes
Electoral quota for women
No

Sources: Cf. Section 3 and the First Schedule of the Representation of the People Act, Schedule I of the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituency Order, Article 331 of the Constitution, and the Re-adjustment of Representation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies (Third) Ordinance.

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1952

Notes: 1952 elections had one combined response

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
2009

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence
1947
Women’s right to vote
1937
Restricted or universal suffrage
Restricted
Detail of restrictions
literacy, income and tax payer
Women’s right to vote
1950
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence, under British administration, the Government of India Act (adopted in 1935, entered into force in 1937) accorded women with the right to vote. These rights were maintained after 1947 when India became an "Independent Dominion".

Women's right to stand for election
1950
Restricted or universal
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence in 1947, under British administration, the Government of India Act (adopted in 1935, entered into force in 1937) accorded women with the right to vote. These rights were maintained after 1947 when India became an "Independent Dominion".

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No