Gender, Religion and CasteClass 10 Political Science Notes

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Gender and politics

Gender division is a form of social division that is present everywhere but often goes unrecognized in politics. This division is not based on biology but on social expectations and stereotypes about the roles of men and women.

Sexual division of labour

This refers to a system where work is divided based on gender. Typically, it involves women being responsible for all work inside the home, or organizing it through domestic helpers.

  • Social Construction: Society teaches boys and girls that the main responsibility of women is housework and raising children. This creates a sexual division of labour.
  • Inside vs. Outside: Women are expected to handle all domestic chores like cooking, cleaning, and childcare, while men are expected to work outside the home.
  • Perception, Not Ability: This division is not because men are incapable of housework. Rather, it's a social belief that such tasks are meant for women. When these same jobs are paid, like being a professional cook or tailor, men are often willing to do them.
  • Women's Unvalued Work: Many women, especially in rural and poor urban families, work outside the home in addition to their domestic duties. However, because much of their household labour is unpaid, their overall contribution is often not valued or recognized.
Example
A woman might work all day managing the household, cooking, cleaning, and caring for children, but might say "I don't work" because this labour doesn't generate a direct income. This shows how society often fails to see domestic work as "real" work.

Public/private division

The result of the sexual division of labour is that women's role in public life, especially politics, has been very small in most societies.

  • Historical Exclusion: In the past, only men were allowed to vote, participate in public affairs, or run for office.
  • Feminist Movements: Over time, women organized and agitated for equal rights. These movements, known as feminist movements, demanded voting rights, better educational and career opportunities, and equality in personal and family life. A feminist is any person, man or woman, who believes in equal rights and opportunities for men and women.
  • Positive Outcomes: Because these issues were raised in politics, women's roles have improved. Today, women work as scientists, doctors, lawyers, and teachers—professions previously not considered suitable for them. In Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway, and Finland, women's participation in public life is very high.

Women's Disadvantage in India

Despite improvements since independence, India is still a male-dominated, or patriarchal, society. This means it is a system that values men more and gives them power over women. Women in India face discrimination and oppression in many ways:

  • Education: The literacy rate for women (54%) is much lower than for men (76%). Parents often prefer to spend resources on their sons' education, causing girls to drop out even when they perform well in school.
  • Work and Wages: A very small proportion of women are in highly paid and valued jobs. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, mandates equal wages for equal work, but in practice, women are paid less than men in almost all fields, from sports to factories. On average, an Indian woman works one hour more per day than a man, but much of her work is unpaid and unvalued.
  • Sex-Selective Abortion: A preference for sons has led to sex-selective abortions, causing the child sex ratio (number of girl children per thousand boys) to fall to a low of 919 in the country, and even below 850 in some states.
  • Harassment and Violence: Women face various forms of harassment, exploitation, and violence. Urban areas can be particularly unsafe, and women are often not safe even within their own homes from domestic violence.

Women's Political Representation

Many feminists and women's movements believe that until women control power, their problems will not get adequate attention. A key way to achieve this is to have more women as elected representatives.

  • Low Representation: In India, the proportion of women in legislatures is very low. In 2019, women members in the Lok Sabha reached 14.36% for the first time, while their share in state assemblies is less than 5%. This places India among the bottom group of nations globally.
  • Reservation in Local Government: To address this, India has made it legally mandatory to reserve one-third of seats in local government bodies (panchayats and municipalities) for women. This has resulted in more than 10 lakh elected women representatives in rural and urban areas.
  • Reservation in Parliament: For decades, women's organizations demanded similar reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. In 2023, the Nari shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Womens' Reservation Act, 2023) was passed. This act will provide 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
Note
The political expression of gender division shows that when social divisions become a political issue, disadvantaged groups can benefit. The gains made by women would likely not have been possible if their unequal treatment had not been raised in the political domain.