ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the nature and extent of women's participation in politics and the factors which are responsible for relegating them to a secondary position in Himachal Pradesh. It examines the appallingly low representation of Himachali women in the state legislature, Parliament, and state council of ministers. Women are at a great disadvantage in power politics in the state. Their participation in politics and various decision-making bodies is still marginal despite the fact that significant changes have taken place in the state's socioeconomic system. The handful of women who have managed to make their way into the political system in the state have been able to do so because of political patronage and high social or familial status. The chapter also highlights the role that the women of this hill state played in the national freedom movement in the state. Beyond formal politics, women have remained the mainstay of various protest movements in the state. The chapter suggests some measures to bring women to the centre stage of the politics in this hill state.
