In the past, the Parliamentary Committee on women¡¯s empowerment has had men as members. However, in the latest development, for the first time ever, the committee is an all-women affair.
The committee has 30 members ¨C 20 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha -- and is chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party¡¯s Heena Gavit.
The committee, traditionally, has been dominated by women but a complete absence of men is a new change, and not the best one to say the least.
Women issues are not just women issues. These are the issues that challenge the society as a whole without gender biases. Men are as much responsible to address these issues as much as women. The point here being equal representation of men and women and an understanding that such issue stemmed up due to male mindset.
Rajya Sabha MPs Prabhat Jha, Anubhav Mohanty (now in Lok Sabha) and A V Swamy have been members of this committee in the past.
Speaking to Indian Express, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee defended composition of the committee and said, ¡°if women such as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and former External Affairs Minister, late Sushma Swaraj, can hold powerful Cabinet posts, women MPs are enough to talk about women¡¯s empowerment.¡±
It is imperative to strike a social balance. An all-women committee could be a time for cheer but equality is the key.