The year 2024 is a bumper election year. Women voters will have a huge say in how global democracy fares.
In India, all eyes are on the national elections which will be held in the first half of the year. Three other major democracies, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States, join India as the big ones deciding their fates this year. Asian neighbours Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan concluded elections earlier this year, but with serious questions looming big on both processes and results. The outcomes have raised fundamental questions on the progress of human rights and civic freedoms.
Women can shape democracy
In India, 14.1 million new women voters have been registered in the lead-up, 15% more than men. In South Africa, there are three million more women voters than men. In the UK, undecided women voters will have a significant say in January 2025 elections. Women’s freedoms have been at the fore in the US, having already shaped the 2022 midterms.
While the four nations are seen as global champions of democracy, none have fully “open” for civic action or participation. CIVICUS monitor ranks the US as “narrowed”, with a rating of 65. The UK and South Africa are “obstructed” spaces, following disappointments in the last two years. India has the lowest rank of the four countries, a rating of 31 and classified “repressed” since 2019. Among other evils, attacks against civil society and media legitimized and endorsed by the state stand out. There are no visible signs of progress.
Taken together, these countries will choose leaders who will set or hinder a path of global prosperity, peace, climate, and human rights. Additionally, the choices made by voters this year will either strengthen women’s hard-won rights or cost them dearly if ultra-conservative, authoritarian, and regressive forces stand to win.
Slow progress with hurdles
For all the progress, women still have a long way to go. Women’s representation at the highest assemblies in each of the four nations is at their peaks. But with women making up half of the population, the progress is a gross under-representation. India fares worst when it comes to decision makers with only 78 women members, or 15%, in the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament. In contrast, women make up 47% of South Africa’s National Assembly. In the US and UK, close to one-third of the highest elected bodies are women.
Inequality is not just in political representation. Women earn less than men in each country and are often less secure. India again fares the worst. The 2024 Women, Business and Law index shows women in the country have only 60% of the rights afforded to men. The country’s female workforce participation stands at 37%, lower than expected of a fast-growing economy.
A Reuters survey ranked India as the most dangerous country in the world for women in 2018, and there are no signs of improvement. Nearly a third of India’s women have experienced physical or sexual violence. 2023 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report reveals a distressing surge of 4% in crimes against women in India including domestic abuse, abductions, assaults, and rapes. Although rape is now a non-bailable offence, those accused often walk free protected by those in power.
Abroad, India as the world’s largest importer of arms from 2018-2022, has likely contributed to Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV). Women and girls continue to be primary targets of CRSV resulting in long-term trauma, humiliation, and broken communities. Because India has refrained from endorsing the Arms Trade Treaty, it is not obliged to assess risks to human rights when trading arms, including from and to countries in conflict. 113 states, including South Africa and the UK, have signed up to the treaty.
A 2000 UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) calls for women’s participation in peace and security, women’s rights, and assessing women’s needs in relief and recovery. India’s denial of internal conflicts, like 2023 Manipur violence, has left no room for women to be engaged.
Despite the odds, women stand up
In India, women have taken to the streets not only for themselves but also for citizens who’s right to be Indian is questioned, persecuted LGBTQI+ communities, farmers and workers. Women represent a powerful political force as citizens, voters, journalists, caregivers, educators, and more. Global movements such as #MeToo, #FreeSaudiWomen, #NiUnaMenos, and #AbortoLegalYa are examples of women driving positive change.
Democratic flaws notwithstanding, India has a disproportionate influence on international decision-making. It has a long and positive history of shaping global norms and standards on democracy, peace, and human rights. In international spaces like the UN Security Council and the World Trade Organization, India can play a key role reconciling BRICS + countries and the Western world. Given their history of decolonisation and action on social justice and non-violence, India and South Africa are well-placed to champion global democracy and human rights.
In 2024, women have the power to shape the future by voting for progress. It is in our interest to take a hard look at the options on the table, stand up, and be counted. Despite the long and challenging road ahead, International Women’s Day is a reminder that we must commit ourselves to positive change for a healthier, safer, and more equitable world. In an acutely polarised world, women’s votes could be our best bet against the downward spiral of inequality, conflict, and ecological destruction.
Lysa John is Secretary-General of CIVICUS, a global alliance working to strengthen citizen participation and defend civic freedoms. She has championed human rights and international mobilisation for over 25 years, starting her journey with grassroots organisations in India and subsequently spearheading trans-national campaigns for governance accountability.
Note: The UN resolution mentioned was passed in 2000 and 2020 as originally published.
