Tribal Women and Their Representation in Indian Politics

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of representation as a critical tool for empowering marginalised groups, with a focus on tribal women in India. Despite constitutional provisions and policy measures aimed at enhancing women’s participation in decision-making, tribal women remain underrepresented in governance structures and continue to face intersecting inequalities in healthcare, education, cultural preservation, and workforce participation. This underrepresentation raises an important question: why, despite targeted provisions and schemes, do tribal women continue to remain on the margins of India’s political landscape? The study is comprehensive in scope and is based entirely on secondary data, drawing upon research papers, case studies, newspaper articles, government reports, and relevant online sources. A wide range of academic literature and policy documents has been analysed to identify gaps between constitutional intent and ground-level realities. The paper argues that while formal efforts have created avenues for women’s participation, structural deficiencies, ineffective implementation, and persistent disregard for women’s concerns by those in authority have limited their impact. The study concludes that there is an urgent need to strengthen institutional mechanisms and re-evaluate existing policy frameworks to ensure meaningful and inclusive representation of tribal women in India’s democratic processes.