BharatNotes Enfranchisement
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) constituted a landmark act of political enfranchisement for women and marginalised communities by reserving one-third of seats in panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies, bringing millions of previously excluded voices into formal governance.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
enfranchise (verb), franchise (noun/verb), disenfranchise (verb), disenfranchisement (noun)
Root
Old French en- = to put into + franchise = freedom, privilege (franc = free, of Germanic origin frank); -ment = result of action
Etymology
From Old French enfranchir (to set free, to grant privileges of a town), combining en- (causative) with franc (free, from Germanic Frank, the Frankish tribe associated with freedom in Frankish Gaul). English enfranchisement dates to the 15th century, initially denoting the granting of municipal freedom or parliamentary representation; the voting-rights sense became dominant from the 17th century onward, and was central to suffragist and abolitionist movements.
Memory Hook
EN-FRANCHISE-ment: to en-franchise = to give someone the franchise (freedom/vote). The Frankish tribe were Franks = free people — enfranchisement gives someone the freedom of the Franks. Franchise a person = gift them their freedom to participate.
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