Why in the News?

India’s cities will host over 800 million people by 2050. While women’s role in local politics has grown, urban bureaucracies still lack gender balance, which limits truly inclusive urban development.

What challenges hinder women’s inclusion in urban bureaucracy despite higher political representation?

• Male-Dominated Administrative Structure: Despite 46% representation of women in local bodies (Ministry of Panchayati Raj, 2024), only 20% of IAS officers are women (IndiaSpend, 2022).  
• Gender Imbalance in Policing and Field Roles: Only 11.7% of India’s police force are women (BPRD, 2023), and most serve in non-field, clerical roles. Similarly, engineering and sanitation departments have low female participation.
• Lack of Affirmative Action in Urban Technical Cadres: While reservations exist in elected offices, there are no parallel affirmative policies in bureaucracy for women.

Why is gender-responsive budgeting essential for inclusive urban development?

• Addresses Gender-Specific Needs in Urban Planning: GRB ensures that urban budgets reflect the different needs of women, men, and marginalised groups. Eg: Delhi used GRB to fund women-only buses and public lighting, improving women’s mobility and safety in public spaces.
• Prevents Reinforcement of Existing Inequities: Without GRB, cities may overinvest in flyovers or metros while neglecting community toilets, crèches, or footpaths that benefit women and marginalised groups.
• Enhances Accountability and Participatory Governance: GRB fosters transparency and encourages civic engagement by linking public spending to gender equity outcomes. For instance, Kerala’s People’s Plan Campaign integrates gender goals into local budgets, empowering women at the grassroots level.

What is the Impact of Gender Gaps in Urban Administration?

• Skewed Infrastructure Priorities: Male-dominated bureaucracies often overlook the everyday mobility and safety needs of women. In Delhi and Mumbai, 84% of women use public or shared transport.
• Underfunding of Social Infrastructure: Services such as water, sanitation, maternal health, or childcare are underprioritised in male-led departments.
• Delayed Response to Community Demands: Studies by ICRIER and UN Women show female administrators are more responsive to grassroots needs, yet their absence restricts outcome-orientated planning.

What are the steps taken by the Indian Government? 

• Constitutional Mandates for Political Representation: The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments mandate 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies. 17 States and 1 Union Territory have increased this to 50%, leading to over 46% women among elected local representatives (Ministry of Panchayati Raj, 2024).
• Gender Budgeting Initiatives: India introduced the Gender Budget Statement in 2005-06 to integrate gender perspectives in public finance. Eg: Delhi funds women-only buses and street lighting; Tamil Nadu applies GRB across 64 departments; Kerala links gender goals to the People’s Plan Campaign.
• Support for Women-Centric Governance Models: The government promotes models like Kudumbashree in Kerala for grassroots women-led governance. Eg: Kudumbashree empowers women in planning and implementation in small and transitioning cities.

Way forward: 

• Ensure Gender Parity in Urban Bureaucracy: Implement affirmative action (like quotas and scholarships) to recruit and promote women in urban planning, engineering, policing, and administrative roles.
• Institutionalise Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB): Mandate gender audits, participatory budgeting, and monitoring frameworks across all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

Mains PYQ:

[UPSC 2024] Distinguish between gender equality, gender equity and women’s empowerment. Why is it important to take gender concerns into account in programme design and implementation?

Linkage: The article highlights that despite an increasing presence of women in local elected representative roles (over 46% in ULGs), the bureaucratic apparatus responsible for implementing decisions remains “overwhelmingly male”. This question directly addresses the fundamental importance of incorporating “gender concerns into programme design and implementation”. 

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