India's women voters

Published April 11, 2014
A female Indian farmer works to separate peas from chaff at Bhaitora village, 65 kilometers east of Allahabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. – Photo by AP
A female Indian farmer works to separate peas from chaff at Bhaitora village, 65 kilometers east of Allahabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. – Photo by AP
A landless Indian woman listens to a non-governmental organization worker in Sarai village on the outskirts of Varanasi, India. – Photo by AP
A landless Indian woman listens to a non-governmental organization worker in Sarai village on the outskirts of Varanasi, India. – Photo by AP
A female Indian farmer separates peas from chaff at Bhaitora village, 65 kilometers east of Allahabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. – Photo by AP
A female Indian farmer separates peas from chaff at Bhaitora village, 65 kilometers east of Allahabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. – Photo by AP
Chairperson of India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance and Congress party President Sonia Gandhi (center) is welcomed with flowers as she arrives to file her nomination papers for the general elections, in Rae Bareli, India. – Photo by AP
Chairperson of India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance and Congress party President Sonia Gandhi (center) is welcomed with flowers as she arrives to file her nomination papers for the general elections, in Rae Bareli, India. – Photo by AP
A female Indian worker carrying her one year old child smiles in front of the camera while working at a brick kiln at Karchana, 40 kilometers east of Allahabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. – Photo by AP
A female Indian worker carrying her one year old child smiles in front of the camera while working at a brick kiln at Karchana, 40 kilometers east of Allahabad, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. – Photo by AP
Landless Indian women sit at their village square, in Sarai village on the outskirts of Varanasi, India. – Photo by AP
Landless Indian women sit at their village square, in Sarai village on the outskirts of Varanasi, India. – Photo by AP
Indian women travel in the ladies compartment of a local train in Mumbai. – Photo by AP
Indian women travel in the ladies compartment of a local train in Mumbai. – Photo by AP

Women form more than 49 per cent of India's 814 million voters, but many of them, especially in rural India, feel their concerns are not taken seriously by political parties, and that they take a back seat to men in everything from health care to education to legal protection.

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