Why India needs women in national security leadership roles

The presence of Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi alongside the foreign secretary in security briefings after the May 7 military strikes is a welcome step for gender representation. But it risks being symbolic if not matched by genuine participation in decision-making.

The absence of women from national security leadership is not just a representational gap – it’s a structural weakness that affects both our preparedness and democratic integrity.

பாரத தாயை தாங்கிப் பிடித்த பாதுகாப்பு வீராங்கனைகள்...!

ஜெய்ஹிந்த்??????

பாரத் மாதா கி ஜே..!#OperationSindoor pic.twitter.com/aY3hLA2Eps— Dr.L.Murugan (@Murugan_MoS) May 7, 2025

Despite India’s constitutional commitment to equality, women are underrepresented at the highest levels of government. In Lok Sabha, women account for 14% of the Members of Parliament and in Rajya Sabha, the figure is even lower – 13%.

State assemblies are similarly lopsided.

Kerala, often hailed as a model for social indicators, is no exception: women make up more than half of the electorate and dominate grassroots governance in panchayats with over 50% representation, but in the state assembly, women legislators have never exceeded 10% in six decades, according to Ministry of Women and Child Development.

The disconnect between grassroots empowerment and top-level exclusion is stark and consequential.

Research from democracies worldwide is unequivocal: when women participate in decision-making, especially in equal numbers, outcomes are more balanced, inclusive and sustainable. A 2024 Inter-Parliamentary Union report...

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