FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM

Tripura is one of the smallest northeastern state of India.

Objectives of the Study

The main focus of the study is participation of women in structural
politics. As discussed earlier, their participation is very low and the picture
is gloomy. It is necessary to find out the bottlenecks that prevent the
political participation of women in a meaningful manner, and hence
obstruct their empowerment. The main objectives of the study are as
follows:

1.
2.
3.
4.

To asses the participation of women as voters in election.

To asses the candidature of women for various election.
To asses the factors responsible for their defeat in election.
To asses the role of women as decision makers in the capacity of
member of Lok Sabha,State Assemblies, Union Cabinet and State
Council of Minister.
5. To identity the various obstacles in the path of womens political
empowerment.
Hypothesis
The following hypothesis have been taken into account which have
been tested in this study:
1. Is political participation of women overshadowed by Gender
Consideration?
2. Does Patriarchy prevent womens access to political institutions
and process?
3. Does the socio-economic and cultural environment of women
determine womens level of political participation?
4. Does the culture of violence in politics affect womens
participation in politics?
5. Does lack of aptitude and awareness of politics affect womens
political participation?
Method of Study

The study is an Empirical Study of women in structural politics in

Tripura. The method of Social Survey has been applied. Among the
various methods in social survey, sample survey method has been
adopted. Apart from this, participatory and case-study methods
have also been used marginally. Through participatory method it
was possible to have some in depth information, which enriched the
data-analysis. Through case-study method it was possible to acquire
a deep insight into the political participation of some of the noted
political women in Tripura.
Sample
The Random Sampling and Quota Sampling methods have been used
in this study for various categories of respondents. The sample
consists of 50 respondents categorized in the following manner: