Women's Franchise and the Welfare State in British India

• In Event: The Development of Welfare States and Social Policy

Abstract

Studies on democratization in the Global South predominantly focus on post-independence states. This overlooks the deep, historical evolution of representative institutions under colonial rule. In this paper, we look at the history of British India to argue that the arrival of partial electoral franchise brought new political blocs to the legislature and divergent opinions on an important social issue: women's rights and welfare. This occurred despite stringent voter eligibility requirements and low electoral turnouts. We draw empirical evidence for this claim from original archival data of more than 3,000 debates and 1,600 individual legislators over two decades following electoral franchise (1921-40). Legislators selected by popular elections were more likely to be a part of debates on women's rights and welfare than those nominated by the colonial government. Elected legislators were also more likely to vote for proposals that extended women's rights and welfare except those that also expanded metropolitan control over social policy. These findings enrich our understanding of policymaking in colonial states, while also showing the long history of electoral franchise and women's rights in the world's largest democracy.

Authors

• Mitchell Bosley, University of Michigan

• Ajit Phadnis, IIM Indore

• Htet Thiha Zaw, University of British Columbia