Blog | The Inescapable Curse Of Being A Woman Politician In India

Updated: May 15, 2026 15:26 pm IST Published On May 15, 2026 15:26 pm IST Last Updated On May 15, 2026 15:26 pm IST

Published On May 15, 2026 15:26 pm IST

Last Updated On May 15, 2026 15:26 pm IST

I know this is not an uncommon question, but it is an uncomfortable one. And that is precisely why it refuses to go away.  There is something about powerful women in Indian politics that unsettles the public imagination. The discomfort rarely announces itself openly. Instead, it reveals itself slowly,  through primetime ridicule, casual sexism disguised as humour, relentless commentary on appearance and temperament, and the tendency to scrutinise a woman's personality long before her politics are taken seriously. 

What makes this phenomenon particularly revealing is that it transcends party lines and ideology.  India does not reserve this hostility for one kind of woman politician. Eventually, almost every woman in public life encounters it, regardless of where she stands politically. 

Looking at a few more prominent women politicians of India, the first name that inevitably comes to our mind is that of Indira Gandhi.   There are many valid criticisms of her politics, and there always will be. The Emergency alone ensures that her legacy will remain complicated forever. But if you go back and really examine the public language around Indira Gandhi over the decades, you realise people were reacting not only to her decisions but also to the sheer fact that a woman leader was occupying that seat of power. 

India had elected a woman Prime Minister long before many countries that now lecture the world about progressiveness. Yet,........

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