As Parliament concluded its special session on implementing the 33% Women's Reservation Act, the reform's socioeconomic benefits remain clear. It's not merely about equity or inclusion, but also carries far-reaching, tangible gains for society.

In a 2025 NCAER working paper, 'Women in Policymaking: Social Spending and Outcomes', women's economic participation in policymaking is shown to be a powerful means of delivering better development outcomes.

The research, conducted on emerging markets and developing countries, finds that greater female representation in Parliament and cabinets is associated with higher public spending on health and education, key drivers of economic growth, as well as reduction in infant and under-5 child mortality rates, greater access to water services, and higher years of schooling.

A more significant finding is that even when spending on health and education does not change, these outcomes improve. A possible reason for this is that when resources are limited, female political leaders tend to find ways to spend resources more efficiently and deliver outcomes more effectively.

Where do Indian female political leaders stand relative to other countries? Representation of women in politics across the world has trended upwards over time, with regional variations. According to IMF's gender database, share of women in national parliaments in EMs and developing countries is about 23% (as of latest 2023 data), compared to nearly 34% in advanced economies. India's stood at around 15%. This share has increased for both groups and India since 2000. But India is not only lagging behind its peers but also progress since 2000 has been slow.

Similarly, share of women in ministerial-level positions has also increased across the world, rising at a faster pace in advanced economies. As of 2023, it stands at 34% in advanced economies, 20% in EMs and developing countries, and around 7% in India. Albania (67%), Nicaragua (62.5%) and Mozambique (55%) have advanced the fastest since 2000.

Many countries introduced quotas for reserving seats for women in political positions to combat entrenched gender bias. Progressive countries like Rwanda and Albania have formal quotas mandated for such positions at 30%. By 2023, Rwanda had over 60% women in parliament, while Albania led in female ministers at over 65%. These figures exceed mandated quotas, suggesting that initial reservations created momentum for greater voluntary representation.

Introduction of reservations for women in Panchayati Raj institutions led to measurable improvements in local public goods provision, including drinking water, roads and education. Moreover, it has had a discernible impact on adolescent girls' career aspirations and educational attainment. Quotas have helped weaken stereotypes about gender roles and improved perceptions about the effectiveness of female leaders.

India has made important strides in women's empowerment over the past decade:

Female education has risen steadily, and is almost on par with male counterparts, especially in secondary education.

Female labour force participation has more than doubled in the past decade.

Financial inclusion has expanded through near-universal bank account ownership. Share of women board members in Indian corporates has gone up by more than the quota.

More women are exercising their right to vote, reflecting an increasing sense of political empowerment.

A growing number of studies indicate that women are more likely to prioritise essential public goods that directly increase household welfare, such as healthcare, schooling, nutrition and local infrastructure. Quality of government expenditure also improves. Presence of female leaders challenges deep-seated beliefs about their abilities and helps transform social and cultural norms.

In short, gains to society and economy from having more female political leaders are immense. Extending this transformation to the national level is the next logical step.

The writers are with Centre for Gender and Macroeconomy, NCAER.