Rise In Female Voter's Turnout In India: SBI Report (image: x.com/CeoRajasthan/)
New Delhi: One per cent increase in literacy rate in India leads to 25 per cent increase in female voter’s turnout, the news agency ANI cited State Bank of India (SBI) report.
As per the report, there is a significant correlation between literacy and female voter turnout in the country. In the 2024 general elections, there is 1.8 crore incremental female voters compared to 2019 in which 45 lakh can be attributed to increased literacy levels.
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“We find that a 1 per cent rise in literacy rate leads to a 25 per cent rise in female voter’s turnout ratio implying that out of the 1.8 crores incremental female voters (2024 vs 2019 elections), 45 lakh female voters rise is attributable to a rise in literacy,” the report said.
The report has also thrown light on the factors influencing female voter turnout and it underlined the importance of literacy, employment, and house ownership as key factors. Furthermore, the SBI report stated that the employment schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), have played an influential role, resulting for 36 lakh additional female voters.
Another factor contributed to the 21 lakh rising female voters in the 2024 elections is sanitation. As per the report, sanitation facilities played a huge role in shaping socio-political priorities for women. “Sanitation accounts for around 21 lakh incremental female voters’ turnout in 2024 elections implying the paramount significance of sanitation in shaping the socio-political priorities,” the report said.
Aside from these, access to electricity and improved drinking water sources also proved to be effective on female voter turnout. However, the report held that their influence is not statistically important.
Another crucial factor influenced the voter turnout is house ownership, especially under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). As per the report, 20 lakh additional female voters can be linked to increased house ownership. Also, 74 % of the houses sanctioned under PMAY are owned by women, either solely or jointly, highlighting its impact on empowering women.
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The SBI report denotes mentions about interstate differences in voter turnout. The findings identify that with an interclass correlation coefficient (Rho) of 0.629, 62 % of the variation in female voter turnout is due to differences between states.
Thus, the factors such as literacy, employment, and sanitation favourably impact women across all sections of the population within states. Moreover, the SBI report emphasised the need for continued focus on education, employment, and basic facilities to enable women and bolster their involvement in the democratic process. It also added that these factors not only improve the quality of life but also play a huge role in shaping India’s socio-political landscape.
