Gender and Politics

Feminist Movements

1. What are feminist movements? What were Their demands.

OR. What was the feminist movements? Explain the political demands of the
feminist movements in India.

Ans. Feminist Movement was a radical movement which demanded equality for
women in personal and family life and also in politics, society and education field.

The political demands of the Feminist Movements in India were:

• (i) More women representatives in local government.

• (ii) More political representatives for women by having elected women
representatives.
• (iii) Reserving at least one-third of the seats in Lok Sabha and Legislative
Assemblies for women.
• (iv) They demanded equal pay as men for same work done.
• (v) They demanded same inheritance rights for daughters as given to sons.

Gender Division of labour

1. “Gender division is not based on biology but on social expectations and

stereotypes.” Support the statement.

OR. How is gender division understood in Indian society? To what extent does
political mobilisation on gender basis help to improve women’s role in public
life?

Ans. Gender Division of Labour – It is a kind of hierarchical social division. It is not

based on biology. It is based on social expectations and stereotypes. It appears to
be natural and unchangeable.

• (i) Boys and girls are brought up to believe that the main responsibilities of
women is house work and bringing up children.
• (ii) There is a sexual division of labour in most families where women do all
the household chores and men work outside the home.
• (iii) The result of this division of labour is that though the women constitute
almost half the population, their role in public life is minimal.
• (iv) Majority of women may do some paid work in addition of domestic labour
both in rural and Urban areas but their work is not valued and does not get
recognition.
• (v) Political expression and political mobilisation on this question helped to
improve women’s role in public life. We now find women working as scientists,
doctors, engineers, teachers, etc. Now, with a lot of efforts, 33% seats are
reserved for women in local government bodies
Discrimination Against Women

2. “Women still lag much behind men in India, despite some improvements
since Independence.” Analyse the statement.

OR. “Our society is still a male dominated society.” Explain the statement with
the help of examples.

OR. Describe the different ways in which the women are discriminated in the
Indian society.

• (a) The literacy rate among women is only 64.60 percent as compared with
80.90 percent among men (2011 data).
• (b) Similarly, a smaller proportion of girl students go for higher studies. Girls
are performing as well as boys in school. But they drop out because parents
prefer to spend their resources for their boy’s education rather than spending
equally on their sons and daughters.
• (c) The proportion of women among the highly paid and valued jobs is still
very small. On an average an Indian woman works one hour more than an
average man every day.
• (d) The Equal Wages Act provides that equal wages should be paid for 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.
• (e) In some 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 has led
to a decline in child sex ratio.
• (f) Women often face harassment, exploitation and violence on the domestic
front.

Women and Political Representation

1. Examine the standard of women’s representation in India’s legislative

bodies.

Ans. The status of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies is as follows:

• (i) Central Legislature: Less than 10% of its total strength are women.
• (ii) State Legislature: Less than 5% of its total strength are women.
• (iii) Panchayati Raj: One-third of the seats are reserved for women.
• (iv) India is among the bottom group of nations in the world, in this aspect.
• (v) Women’s organizations and activists have been demanding a reservation
of at least one third of seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. But the bill
to this effect has not been passed.

2. Explain any five methods to raise the political representation of women in

India.
Ans. Solution to the women’s low political Representation

• Legal provisions for a fair proportion of women in the elected bodies.

• Reservation of at least one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha. The bill regarding
this provision is pending because of lack of consensus among parties over the
issue.
• The gender division should get Expression in politics as it helps the
disadvantaged groups

Religion, Communalism and Politics

Religion & Politics

1. How are religious differences expressed in politics?

Answer:

(i) Gandhiji’s views on religion and politics-

• Religion can never be separated from politics. He was not referring to any
particular Religion.
• Religion is a moral force’ that can unite different segments of society
• Politics must be guided by the moral and ethical values of all religions.

(ii) Human Right’s view of religion?

Human right groups in our country have argued that most of the victims of communal
riots in our country are people from religious minorities. They have demanded that
the government take special steps to protect religious minorities

(iii) Women’s Movement View

Family Laws of all religions are not equitable and discriminate against women.
Family Laws are laws that deal with family-related matters such as marriage,
divorce, adoption, inheritance, etc.

2. How can the relationship between politics and religion be beneficial and
problematic at the same time? Explain.

Beneficial Points:

• (i) Influence of religion can make politics value based.

• (ii) Religious communities can politically express their needs and interests.
• (iii) Political authorities can monitor and control religious discrimination and
oppression.

Problematic Points:
 • (i) Religion can become the base for the development of nationalist
sentiments which can lead to conflicts between religious groups.
• (ii) Political parties can try to make political gains by pitting one religious group
against the other.
• (iii) State power may be used to establish the domination of one religion or
religious group over another

3. How does religion influence the political set up in our country? Explain.

Ans. The religion in politics is not as dangerous as it seems to us. Ethical values of
each religion can play a major role in politics. As a member of any religious
community, people should express their political needs. The political leaders regulate
the practice of religion so that there should be no discrimination and oppression. If all
religions are treated equally then these political acts are correct in any way.

Communalism & Politics

1. What is communalism? How does it affect the political life of the people?

Answer:

Communalism: When beliefs of one religion are presented as superior to those of

other religions, when the demands of one religious group are formed in opposition to
another and when state power is used to establish domination of one religious group
over the rest, we call it as communalism.

Communalism is a hindrance in the functioning of our democracy because:

• (i) Communalism leads to the belief that people belonging to different religions
cannot live as equal citizens within one nation. Either, one of them has to
dominate the rest or they have to form different nation.
• (ii) Any attempt to bring all followers of one religion together is bound to
suppress the voices of others.

2. Mention any three forms in which communalism is expressed in politics.

Describe the solution provided by the Constitution framers of India to meet
this challenge.

OR. Define communalism. Explain any three forms of communalism in the

Indian politics.

OR. What form does communalism take in politics?

Ans. The modern-day politics in India is making use of religion in communal form.
Problem begins when people start considering religion as the sole basis of society.

• Communalism in every day beliefs- It so common that people fail to notice

that they have developed a routine thinking on communal lines- superiority of
their religion, prejudices and stereotypes of religious communities.
 • Urge to form a separate political unit- Quest for political dominance results
in the belief in majority-dominance for those in majority and the minority start
to desire for a separate political unit based on their identity.
• Political mobilization on religious lines- It refers to attempts made to bring
the target religious community together It involves the use of sacred symbols,
use of religious leaders, emotional appeals and plain fear from other religions.
During elections special appeals are issued to woo the voters of one religion
in preference to others.
• The ugly form of communalism- It involves Communal violence, riots, and
massacre. India suffered some of the worst communal riots at the time of
partition.

3. How can communalism pose a great threat to Indian democracy?

Ans. Communalism can pose a great threat to Indian democracy as:

• (i) It leads to the dangerous belief that people belonging to different religion
cannot live as equal citizens within one nation. Either group has to dominate
the rest or they have to form a different nation.
• (ii) Any attempt to bring followers of one religion together in the context of
politics bound to suppress many voices within that society.

4. Suggest any two measures to check communalism in India.

Ans. (i) Communal prejudices and propaganda need to be countered in everyday

life.

(ii) Religion based mobilisation to meet political must be needs countered.

Secularism

1. “Secularism is not an ideology of some political parties or persons, but it is

one of the foundations of our country.” Examine the statement.

OR. Why did the framers of the constitution choose the ideals of secularism
for India? How is this choice reflected in the constitutional provisions?
Explain.

OR. Indian is a secular country. Justify the statement.

OR. Mention constitutional provisions that make India a secular state.

Answer:

Meaning of Secularism

Secularism means no special status is given to any religion. The state with no any
official religion is called a secular state. It is just not an ideology of some parties or
persons. The ideology of Secularism is one of the basic and foundational structure of
the Indian Constitution.

Secular Provisions of the Constitution

• (i) There is no official religion for the Indian states, unlike the status of
Buddhism in Sri Lanka, or that of Islam in Pakistan.
• (ii) The Constitution provides freedom to all to protest, practice and propagate
any religion, or not to follow any.
• (iii) The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
• (iv) The Constitution allows state to intervene in the matters of religion in order
to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans
untouchability.

Caste and Politics

Features of casteism

1. What is meant by caste hierarchy?

OR. Describe any 5 features of the caste system in India.

Ans. Caste hierarchy: A ladder like formation in which all the caste groups are
placed from the ‘highest’ to the ‘lowest’ castes.

Caste system is an extreme form of social division based on hereditary occupational

division.

• The hereditary occupational division was sanctioned by rituals

• It was based on exclusion of and discrimination against the ‘out caste’ group
of untouchables
• Members of same caste group practiced the same or similar occupation.
• Marriages were organised within the caste groups

Problem of casteism

2. Mention the problem of ‘Casteism’ in Indian politics.

Ans. Problems of casteism in India:

• (i) There is discrimination between upper and lower castes. Still there is wide
gap and difference between different castes.
• (ii) Upper castes still enjoy respectable position in the society.
• (iii) Political leaders contest election on the name of castes, for the vote bank.

Different forms of casteism

3. Explain any four forms of Casteism in Indian politics.

OR. Analyse the role of caste in Indian politics.

Ans. Casteism is rooted in the belief that Caste is the only basis of social
community. Political parties and
candidates use caste difference to win elections.

Cast takes different forms in Indian politics that cane understood in the way it
influences politics.

Influence & role of caste on politics:

• (i) While choosing candidates for election, political parties consider the caste
composition of the voters to win support.
• (ii) When the government is formed, political parties take care that
representative from different castes find a place in the government.
• (iii) Political parties make an appeal to the caste sentiments to win votes.
• (iv) Some political parties are known to favour some particular caste.
• (v) Universal adult franchise and the principle of one-person-one-vote have
compelled the political leaders to bring caste sentiments into politics to muster
support

4. Besides Caste which other factors do matter in electoral politics.

Ans. Caste is not the only factor that influence politics. Some other factors also
decide the voting preference.

• Voters having strong attachment with any political party votes for the party
discarding the Caste aspect
• Rich and poor or men and women from the same Caste vote very differently.
• People from the same Caste or community may have different interests that
decides voting preferences.
• Assessment of the performance of the government and popular rating of the
leaders are often decisive in elections

Advantages & Disadvantages

5. Describe three advantages of the political expression of caste differences.

OR. Describe the positive and negative aspects of relationship between caste
and politics.

OR. Describe the positive and negative aspects of relationship between caste
and politics.

OR. Describe the adverse effects of caste in politics in India.

Answer:
Positive Effects (Advantages)

• Many disadvantaged communities get attention and space to demand their

share in politics.
• Measures for uplifting the status of the backward castes can be undertaken
seriously as Dalits and OBC Castes play feature prominently during campaign
and political manifesto.
• Many political parties take up the issue of ending caste discrimination
• Political and non-political agitations have demanded an end to discrimination
more dignity and better access to land resources and opportunities.

Negative Effects (Disadvantages)

• Too much attention to Caste is not healthy for democracy

• It can divert attention from pressing issues like -poverty, development, and
corruption.
• Caste based division can lead to tension, conflict and even violence

Weakening of casteism

6. Why are caste barriers breaking down in India? Explain with three reasons.

OR. Explain any five socio-economic changes responsible for breaking down
the old notion of caste hierarchy in India.

OR. Literacy and urbanisation combined with economic growth have changed
the value system of Indian society. Explain with reference to India’s social
problems.

OR. Discuss the reasons for the decline of the Caste System.

Ans. Economic development, education, occupational mobility etc have been

weakening the Caste -hierarchy

• i. Leaders like Jyotiba Phule, Gandhiji, B R Ambedkar and Periyar

Ramaswami Naicker worked to establish society which is not based on Caste
inequalities
• ii. Urbanisation and growth of literacy and education has helped in the
weakening of Caste institutions
• iii. Occupational mobility (choice of occupation) is breaking the old notion of
Caste hierarchy
• iv. Weakening of the position of land lords in villages has also contributed to
the decline Caste hierarchy
• v. The Indian Constitution also prohibits Caste based discrimination.
• vi. Policy of reservation of seats in local self-government bodies and
legislatures as well in educational institutes have helped to uplift the political,
social and economic position of lower castes.

Cate has not disappeared

7. Caste has not still disappeared from contemporary India. Justify the
statement.

Ans. It is true the caste factor has still not disappeared from our society:

• Most people still prefer marriage within their own caste or tribe
• Untouchability has not ended completely despite constitutional prohibition
• The effect of centuries of advantages and disadvantages continue to be felt
today
• Those Caste groups still lag behind which were denied access to education
• Caste continues to be closely linked to economic status.
• Example – Larger presence of upper caste among the urban middle class.

Elections are not all about caste

8. The focus on caste in politics can sometimes give an impression that

elections are all about caste and nothing else. Do you agree? Explain.

The focus on caste in politics can sometimes give an impression that elections are
all about caste and nothing else is not correct because–

• (i) 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.
• (ii) No party wins the votes of all voters of a caste or community. When people
say that a cast is a ‘vote bank’ of one party, it usually means that a large
proportion of the voters from the caste vote for the party, not all.
• (iii) Many political parties may put up candidates from the same caste (if that
caste is believed to dominate the electorate in a particular constituency).
Some voters may have more than one candidate from their caste while many
voters may have no candidate from their caste.
• (iv) The ruling party or the sitting M.P. or M.L.A. frequently lose elections in
our country. That could not have happened if all castes or communities were
frozen in their political preferences

Politics in caste

9. How far is it correct to say that it is not Politics that gets Caste ridden but it
is the Caste that gets politicised. Explain.

OR. In what way does Politics influence Caste system.

Ans. Influence of politics on Caste :

 • (i) Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within its sub-
castes.
• (ii) Various caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes
or communities.
• (iii) New kinds of caste groups have entered politics like ‘backward’ and
‘forward’ castes.
• (iv) Politics in caste has allowed many disadvantaged caste groups to
demand their share of power.
• (v) Caste politics has helped the Dalits and OBCs to gain better access to
decision-making

Politics and social divisions should not be allowed to mix

Q. “Politics and social divisions should not be allowed to mix.” Justify the
statement.

Ans. It is absolutely correct to say that politics and social divisions should not be
allowed to mix. This is because:

(i) It can make social divisions into political division and lead to conflict, violence or
even disintegration of a country.

(ii) In Northern Ireland, there has been a violent and bitter ethno-political conflict for
many years.

(iii) It caused disintegration of Yugoslavia into six independent countries. In Sri

Lanka, when the ethno social difference between Sinhala and Tamils were politicised
, the result was the Civil war on the country