Political equality
Topic: Equality and Social Justice · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 3 "Gender, Religion and Caste"; Class 10, Ch 5 "Outcomes of Democracy"; Class 11, Ch 3 "Equality"
Meaning
Political equality means giving equal citizenship to every member of the state. It includes the right to vote and freedom of expression, movement, association and belief. In India it rests on universal adult franchise (Art. 326), which means every adult can vote, along with the fundamental rights. Political equality is necessary but not sufficient. People with equal votes can still be very unequal in social and economic life.
Example
India gave the vote to all adults from the start in 1950. The UK gave women the vote in stages (1918 and 1928), and Switzerland only in 1971. On 25 November 1949, Ambedkar warned that India was entering "a life of contradictions": one person, one vote, one value in politics, but inequality in social and economic life.
Don't confuse with
- Social equality: this goes beyond voting and civil rights. It means equal opportunity plus minimum conditions for everyone, such as health care, education and a minimum wage.