Women Reservation Bill, which proposes to amend the Constitution of India to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and in all state legislative assemblies for women, is yet to be passed. It aims at improving the participation of women in the government, thereby leading to more gender equality. It also proposes reservation for women from scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. This increased political participation will ensure empowerment of women. In India, the number of politicians that are women is very less. More number of women politicians will help to improve the situation of the women in India. Though women have made remarkable progress in economic, social and political spheres, there is still a long way for the achievement of gender equality. Preferential treatment to women will ensure a level playing field for all the citizens. It will help women to fight the abuse, discrimination and inequality that they suffer at the hands of the patriarchal society. The proposed Women Reservation Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha on 12th September, 1996. It was first drafted by the H. D. Deve Gowdaled United Front government. Since then, the Bill has been introduced in the Parliament several times, but could not be passed. Many people support the Bill while there are many others, who doubt that reservation of seats in the governing bodies will have any impact on the empowerment of women. The people supporting the Bill are of the view that equal participation of men and women in decision making will provide a balance that reflects the composition of society. It will work towards strengthening of the democracy and also help in a balanced and proper functioning of the society. Incorporation of ideas of women and their participation at all levels of decision-making will help achieve balanced development. However, there is a huge debate going on regarding the Bill. Many argue that increased representation of women in governing bodies does not ensure empowerment of women. Women elected through reservation might not fight for women issues. It cannot affirm that having more women in the Parliament will improve the status of women across the country. There were 59 women members in the 15th Lok Sabha, which shows that representation of women in the Parliament is not satisfactory. If the Bill is passed, 181 seats out of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha and 1370 seats out of 4109 seats in the 28 state assemblies, need to be reserved for women. There are various cultural and societal barriers that challenge women’s participation in politics and even the social causes, in India. Violence or even the threat of it against the women, lack of self-confidence due to the societal outlook etc. discourages many females from entering into politics. Discrimination is a widespread barrier. The problems of illiteracy, burden of work within one’s household, lack of family support and attitude towards female leaders are a few reasons why many women do not participate in real politics. Even worldwide, women in government are under-represented in most of the countries like Columbia and America. However, the scenario is changing with an increase in the number of women being elected to represent the heads of the state and the countries. Currently, women hold the office as the head of the government in more than 20 countries. The participation rate of women in parliaments, globally is nearly 20% and many countries are exploring measures to encourage female participation in the government from local to national. The Bill will ensure that equality prevails. Electoral representation may not completely ensure women empowerment, but it will be a major milestone towards giving equal rights to women.(i) What are the provisions of Women Reservation Bill?(ii) What is the origin of Women Reservation Bill?(iii) What are the arguments in favor of the Bill?(iv) What are the views of the people against the bill?(v) What indicates that the women are not represented equally in the parliament?(vi) What will the bill ensure?(vii) What are the factors that discourage women from participating in politics?(viii) Describe the participation of women in the government across the globe.