Gender, Religion and Caste

Social differences based on gender, religion and caste are found in every society, and democracy must find ways of accommodating them fairly. In this chapter you will study the gender division of labour, which assigns household work to women and outside paid work to men, and how it limits women's role in public life. You will learn how feminist movements demanded equal rights, the disadvantages women still face in literacy, pay, safety and the sex ratio, and the low representation of women in legislatures, along with steps such as one-third reservation in local bodies and the 2023 law reserving one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. You will then examine how religion can be expressed in politics in healthy ways, and how communalism, the use of religion to divide people and seek political dominance, threatens democracy, and why India is a secular state. Finally, you will study how caste inequalities persist despite reforms by leaders like Jyotiba Phule, B.R. Ambedkar and Periyar, the role of caste in politics, and how politics has also changed caste identities.

Detailed Worksheet: Gender, Religion and Caste Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What is meant by the sexual division of labour? Give one example. (2 marks) 2. Who is a feminist? What do feminist movements demand? (2 marks) 3. Define communalism. Give two forms in which it is expressed in politics. (2 marks) 4. What is meant by a secular state? State two constitutional provisions that make India secular. (2 marks) 5. What is the caste system? Name two social reformers who worked to end caste discrimination. (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, 74 women were elected to a house of 543 members. Calculate the percentage of women members. If one-third of the seats were reserved for women, how many seats would be reserved? (3 marks) 7. According to Census 2011, the literacy rate among women was about 65% and among men about 82%. Calculate the gap in percentage points. In a town of 10,000 women and 10,000 men aged 7 and above, how many more men than women would be literate at these rates? (3 marks) 8. India's sex ratio in Census 2011 was 943 females per 1000 males, and the child sex ratio (0-6 years) was 919. In a district with 50,000 boys aged 0-6, how many girls would there be at the child sex ratio? What does a falling child sex ratio indicate? (3 marks) 9. A survey of 100 working women found that they spend on average 5 hours a day on unpaid household work, while men spend 1.5 hours. Calculate the extra unpaid work done by women in a week (7 days) compared to men. Why is this work not counted in the national income? (3 marks) 10. Arrange in chronological order: the Equal Remuneration Act; the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments reserving seats for women in local bodies; the Constitution of India comes into force; the women's reservation law for Lok Sabha and state assemblies is passed. Give the years. (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a bar graph comparing the literacy rates of men (82%) and women (65%) in India as per Census 2011, and write two conclusions. (4 marks) 12. Draw a flowchart showing how caste can take different forms in politics: candidate selection, caste-based parties, appeal to caste sentiment and creation of new caste groups. (3 marks) 13. Draw a mind map showing the various forms of communalism in politics. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. 'Women in India still face discrimination in various ways.' Support this statement with four examples, and explain why the representation of women in legislatures has remained low. What are the arguments for and against reserving seats for women in legislatures? (5 marks) 15. 'Communalism can take various forms in politics.' Explain with examples. Why is communalism a threat to democracy, and how does the Indian Constitution try to combat it? (5 marks) 16. 'Caste alone cannot determine election results in India.' Do you agree? Give reasons, and explain how politics also influences caste by bringing caste groups into the political arena. (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Answer with examples from India. Draw graphs and flowcharts neatly with titles.