India, June 21 -- Given that the new Parliament has room for more members, it would be a good idea for a third of the strength of the Lok Sabha to have two members.

Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China once famously remarked that "women hold up half the sky". Indeed, but apparently not the senior cadre of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), where the representation of women was far, far lower than half. To this day, the all-powerful Standing Committee of the CCP has not featured a woman among its members. In the PRC, making progress up the ranks of the CCP is far slower for women than for men. Whether it be lady ambassadors, diplomats or other high level positions, the proportion of women is far below that of men. Thi...