Representation of Women in the 18th Lok Sabha

The 18th Lok Sabha will support 74 women MPs, making 13.63% of the elected strength of the Lower House, down from 78 in the 17th Lok Sabha.

• Composition of Lower House: With the newly elected 18th Lok Sabha members declared. The PRS Legislative Research has compiled data showing the change in the composition of the Lower House with respect to women.

Women in The 18th Lok Sabha

• Candidate Profile: 
  • Women constituted 10% (797) of the 8,360 candidates contesting elections in 2024.
  • This is the first time that women candidates’ proportion touched 10%
• Representation over the years: 
• • First Lok Sabha in 1952: Women made up just 4.41% of the strength of the Lower House. 
  • Lowest representation: In the 1971 Lok Sabha, women constituted only 3.51% of the total membership.
  • Peak representation:  Women constituted 14.36% of the House in the 17th Lok Sabha of 2019.
• International Comparison: Women constitute 46% of MPs in South Africa, 35% in the UK, and 29% in the US. 

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• Share along Political Parties:
  • Women Lok Sabha MPs come from a total of 14 parties. 
  • Absolute no. terms: The BJP contributes the most with 31 women MPs, followed by the Congress (13), TMC (11), SP (5), and DMK (3).
  • Highest proportion: However, among the 3 parties with double-digit women MPs in the Lok Sabha, the TMC boasts the highest proportion (37.93%), followed by Congress (13.13%) and BJP (12.92%).
• First-timers:  43 of the 74 elected MPs (59%) are elected for the first time, higher than the overall percentage of newcomers in the House, which is 52%.
• Experience: Women MPs have only 0.76 Lok Sabha terms of experience (one term is generally 5 years long).
• Average Age: The overall age of the House is 56 years and the average age of women MPs is 50 years, making them a younger lot.
• Education Profile: 78%  of the MPs have completed graduation.

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