Gender, Religion and Caste

The different aspects of life in which women are discriminated or disadvantaged in India are:

1. Education — The literacy rate among women is only 54 per cent compared with 76 per cent among men. Similarly, a smaller proportion of girl students go for higher studies. Girls perform better in than boys. But they drop out because parents prefer to spend their resources for their boys’ education rather than spending equally on their sons and daughters.
2. Wages — The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 provides that equal wages should be paid to equal work. However in almost all areas of work, from sports and cinema, to factories and fields, women are paid less than men, even when both do exactly the same work.
3. Desire for Male Child — In many parts of India, parents prefer to have sons and find ways to have the girl child aborted before she is born. Such sex-selective abortion led to a decline in child sex ratio (number of girl children per thousand boys) in the country to merely 919.

Different forms of communal politics are:

1. The most common expression of communalism is in everyday beliefs. For example, it involve religious prejudices, stereotypes of religious communities and belief in the superiority of one’s religion over other religions.
2. A communal mind often leads to a quest for political dominance of one’s own religious community. For example, for majority community, this takes the form of majoritarian dominance. For those belonging to the minority community, it can take the form of a desire to form a separate political unit.
3. Political mobilisation on religious lines is another frequent form of communalism. This involves the use of sacred symbols, religious leaders, emotional appeal and plain fear in order to bring the followers of one religion together in the political arena.
4. Sometimes communalism takes its most ugly form of communal violence, riots and massacre. India and Pakistan suffered some of the worst communal riots at the time of the Partition. The post-Independence period has also seen large scale communal violence.

All societies have some kind of social inequality. Caste system is an extreme form of this. Due to socio-economic changes, castes and caste system in modern India have undergone great improvement. But even now most people marry within their own caste or tribe. Untouchability has not ended completely, despite constitutional prohibition. At least 30% of earning inequality is still determined by caste, gender, and family backgrounds. This indicates that social mobility is still restricted for individuals belonging to certain castes.

Two reasons to say that caste alone cannot determine election results in India are:

1. No parliamentary constituency in the country has a clear majority of one single caste. So, every candidate and party needs to win the confidence of more than one caste and community to win elections.
2. No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste or community. When people say that a caste is a ‘vote bank’ of one party, it usually means that a large proportion of the voters from that caste vote for that party.

In India, the proportion of women in legislature has been very low. For example, the percentage of elected women members in Lok Sabha has touched 14.36 per cent of its total strength for the first time in 2019. Their share in the state assemblies is less than 5 per cent. India is behind the averages for several developing countries of Africa and Latin America. As of 2024, women legislators form around 13% of the total number of members of Parliament in India. The Women’s Reservation Bill, which reserves one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was passed and became law in India. But it has not been enforced yet.

Two constitutional provisions that make India a secular state are:

1. There is no official religion for the Indian state. Unlike the status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, that of Islam in Pakistan and that of Christianity in England, our Constitution does not give a special status to any religion.
2. The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion, or not to follow any.

Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women

Panchayati Raj bodies

A and C

gives official status to one religion.

Social divisions based on caste are peculiar to India.

B, A, D, C

Political science is a branch of the social sciences that examines political activities, institutions, thought, and behavior. Therefore, studying the most basic institution i.e., a family or a household is important specially to understand gender inequality that prevails in our society. Discussing household work within political science helps shed light on societal inequalities and provides a broader perspective on political dynamics.

The concept of power dynamics within a household can be seen as a form of politics. In many societies, traditional gender roles have led to a power imbalance, with men often being the primary decision-makers. But, ideally, a household should operate on principles of equality and mutual respect, where decisions are made collectively and everyone’s voice is heard.

I do not agree with any of these. I am against any kind of stereotyping. A women is an individual and she can be whatever she wants to be. Stereotypes perpetuate inequalities and limit women’s capacity to develop their abilities, pursue careers, and make choices about their lives. It’s essential to combat wrongful gender stereotyping to promote equality and protect human rights. Therefore, women should not be tied to any image of 'ideal women'.

Women work for more hours than men but mere household chores are not even considered as work in our society as it does not generate any income. This reflects the old, orthodox and patriarchal face of our society. Their work and efforts must be equally valued.

My state is Uttar Pradesh with sex ratio 901 to 925. The States of North-east India, Kerala and Chhattisgarh and other South Indian states have better sex ratio. Maharastra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab and Haryana have sex ratio below 900.
In many parts of India, parents prefer to have sons and find ways to have the girl child aborted before she is born. Such sex-selective abortion led to a decline in child sex ratio. There are reports of various kinds of harassment, exploitation and violence against women. The given poster depicts the crime against women.

Some reasons why women’s representation is so low in India are:

1. Stereotyping career opportunities for women.
2. Low literacy rate of women in India.
3. Women do not get equal opportunity in politics.

America and Europe have not achieved a satisfactory level of women’s representation in legislature. With 29.5 % and 26.4 %, they are far behind in providing equal opportunity to women politicians.

Feminism stands apart from casteism and communalism due to its focus on equality without creating divisions. It aims to empower women and challenge gender norms and promotes a more just and equitable society for all, regardless of gender identity.

As a non-religious individual, understanding communalism and secularism remains essential. Communalism fosters divisions based on religion, ethnicity, or caste. Secularism, on the other hand, promotes unity and tolerance. By grasping these concepts, you contribute to a more harmonious society. So, even if you’re not religious, being aware of communalism and secularism promotes a more inclusive, just, and peaceful world.

Cracking jokes about people from another religion can be seen as making fun of that religion and might suggest that you think one religion is better than the other. This can lead to communal tension and conflicts. So, it's best to avoid making jokes about any religion.

Discussing caste in textbooks serves several important purposes, and it doesn’t necessarily promote casteism. Understanding the historical context of caste helps students comprehend the complexities of Indian society. It sheds light on how caste has shaped social structures, power dynamics, etc. By learning about caste, students gain awareness of the struggles faced by marginalized communities and the need for social reform.

In Political Science, we explore power dynamics, domination, and structures that perpetuate inequality. Discussing caste is essential precisely because it has historically been a dominant force in Indian society. Silence won’t make caste disappear; it’s through dialogue and understanding that change can occur. Political Science explores policies and governance. Discussing caste informs us about affirmative action, reservations, and social justice policies.

Treating people solely as "vote banks" based on their caste is ethically questionable and undermines the principles of democracy. While it may be a common tactic in some political contexts to target specific demographics for electoral gain, it perpetuates divisions within society and reduces individuals to mere instruments for political power.