Gender, Religion and Caste — Class 10 Social Science
Political Science — Democratic Politics-II · Chapter 3
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Chapter summary
Key ideas & terms
- Sexual division of labour
- A system in which household work is assigned mainly to women.
- Feminist movement
- Movements demanding equal rights and opportunities for women.
- Communalism
- Using religion as the basis of political identity, dominance and conflict.
- Secularism
- The principle that the state treats all religions equally and has no official religion.
- Casteism
- Treating caste as the sole basis of social standing and political action.
- Patriarchy
- A social system that values men more and gives them greater power.
- Occupational mobility
- The movement of people from one occupation to another over generations.
- Caste hierarchy
- The ranking of caste groups from higher to lower in the social order.
Extra questions & answers
What is the sexual division of labour?
A system in which work inside the home is assigned mainly to women, while men do most of the paid work outside, reflecting unequal gender roles.
What is communalism and why is it harmful?
Communalism uses religion to define political identity and seeks the dominance of one religion; it threatens democracy and national unity by causing distrust and conflict.
What is meant by secularism in the Indian Constitution?
There is no official state religion, every citizen is free to practise any religion, and the state keeps an equal distance from and treats all religions equally.
How are caste and politics related?
Parties consider caste while selecting candidates and forming alliances, and caste groups seek political power, though no party wins on caste votes alone.
Are social divisions always harmful to democracy?
No — when democracy allows groups to express their demands peacefully and seek justice, social divisions can strengthen rather than weaken it.
What is the sexual division of labour?
A system in which work inside the home is assigned mainly to women, while men do most of the paid work outside, reflecting unequal gender roles.
What is communalism, and why is it harmful?
Communalism uses religion to define political identity and seeks the dominance of one religion; it threatens democracy and national unity by causing distrust and conflict.
What is meant by secularism in the Indian Constitution?
There is no official state religion, every citizen is free to practise any religion, and the state treats all religions equally, keeping an equal distance from them.
How are caste and politics related in India?
Parties consider caste while selecting candidates and forming alliances, and caste groups seek political power, though no party wins on caste votes alone.
Are social divisions always harmful to democracy?
No — when democracy allows groups to express their demands peacefully and seek justice, social divisions can strengthen rather than weaken it.
Let's do it
You can conduct a similar time use survey in your own household. Observe all the adult male and female members of your family for one week. Every day note down the number of hours each of them spends on the following activities: income generating activity (working at the office or shop or factory or field, etc.), household related activity (cooking, cleaning, washing, fetching water, looking after children or elders, etc.), reading and recreation, talking/gossiping, self-care, taking rest or sleeping. If necessary make new categories. Add up the time taken on each activity for a week and calculate the daily average for each activity for each member. Do women work more in your family as well?
A sample one-week survey shows that the adult women in the household spend more total time working when paid employment and unpaid household work are counted together. Although the men spend more time on income-generating work, the women spend several additional hours cooking, cleaning, washing and caring for children or elders. Therefore, women work more overall, but much of their work is unpaid and often remains unrecognised.
Exercises
1. Mention different aspects of life in which women are discriminated or disadvantaged in India.
Women face discrimination in education, employment, wages, family life and public life. Girls may receive fewer educational opportunities because families sometimes give priority to boys. Women are under-represented in highly paid jobs and are often paid less than men for equal work. Much of their household labour is unpaid and unrecognised. Son preference, sex-selective abortion, harassment, domestic violence and low representation in legislatures also place women at a disadvantage.
2. State different forms of communal politics with one example each.
Communal politics appears in several forms. First, it may exist as everyday religious prejudices and stereotypes, such as believing that one religion is superior to others. Second, it may involve a demand for political dominance, such as a majority community seeking majoritarian rule or a minority community demanding a separate political unit. Third, it may take the form of political mobilisation through religious symbols, leaders, emotional appeals or fear to attract voters of one religion. Finally, it may result in communal violence, riots and massacres, such as the violence that occurred during the Partition of India.
3. State how caste inequalities are still continuing in India.
Caste inequalities continue because many people still marry within their own caste, untouchability has not completely disappeared and the effects of centuries of discrimination remain. Castes that historically had access to education and resources are still better represented among educated and wealthy groups, while Dalits, Adivasis and many backward classes are more likely to experience poverty and limited opportunities. Thus, caste remains closely connected with social and economic status.
4. State two reasons to say that caste alone cannot determine election results in India.
First, no parliamentary constituency has a clear majority of only one caste, so candidates must gain support from several castes and communities. Second, voters belonging to the same caste do not always vote for the same party because their choices are also influenced by economic interests, party loyalty, the performance of the government and the popularity of political leaders.
5. What is the status of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies?
Women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies has historically been very low. In 2019, women constituted only 14.36% of the Lok Sabha, while their share in State Assemblies was less than 5%. Women have much stronger representation in local bodies because one-third of the seats in panchayats and municipalities are reserved for them. The Women’s Reservation Act, 2023 provides for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly.
6. Mention any two constitutional provisions that make India a secular state.
The Constitution does not give official status to any religion, and it grants every individual and community the freedom to profess, practise and propagate any religion or to follow no religion. It also prohibits discrimination on religious grounds and permits the state to intervene in religious practices to ensure equality.
7. When we speak of gender divisions, we usually refer to:
(a) Biological difference between men and women
(b) Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women
(c) Unequal child sex ratio
(d) Absence of voting rights for women in democracies
(b) Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women
8. In India seats are reserved for women in
(a) Lok Sabha
(b) State legislative assemblies
(c) Cabinets
(d) Panchayati Raj bodies
(d) Panchayati Raj bodies
9. Consider the following statements on the meaning of communal politics. Communal politics is based on the belief that:
A. One religion is superior to that of others.
B. People belonging to different religions can live together happily as equal citizens.
C. Followers of a particular religion constitute one community.
D. State power cannot be used to establish the domination of one religious group over others.
Which of the statements are correct?
(a) A, B, C, and D (b) A, B, and D (c) A and C (d) B and D
(c) A and C
10. Which among the following statements about India’s Constitution is wrong? It
(a) prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
(b) gives official status to one religion.
(c) provides to all individuals freedom to profess any religion.
(d) ensures equality of citizens within religious communities.
(b) gives official status to one religion.
11. Social divisions based on _________ are peculiar to India.
caste
1. A person who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women and men
B. Feminist
2. A person who says that religion is the principal basis of community
A. Communalist
3. A person who thinks that caste is the principal basis of community
D. Castiest
4. A person who does not discriminate others on the basis of religious beliefs
C. Secularist