1. Introduction to Gender Division

  • Gender division refers to the social separation between men and women in society. It is often treated as natural and unchangeable, but it is shaped by social expectations and stereotypes, not biology.
  • This division affects various aspects of life, including politics, where the roles and opportunities for women are often limited.

2. Public/Private Division of Labor

  • Socialization of Gender Roles: Boys and girls are taught from a young age that women are responsible for housework and childcare. This creates a sexual division of labor in families, where women do most of the household tasks (cooking, cleaning, child-rearing), while men focus on work outside the home.
  • Paid vs Unpaid Work: Women also contribute to income-generating work, such as fetching water in rural areas or working as domestic helpers, but this work is often unpaid and undervalued.
  • Public Life and Politics: Despite making up half of humanity, women have had minimal roles in public life and politics. Initially, men had all political rights, while women were excluded. However, feminist movements have fought for women’s rights, including voting and equality in political and family life.

3. Feminist Movements

  • Feminism involves advocating for equal rights and opportunities for both men and women.
  • Radical feminist movements pushed for changes in both personal and public spheres, aiming for equality in family life and career opportunities for women.
  • Over time, these movements have helped women enter various professions such as scientists, doctors, engineers, and lawyers, areas once considered inappropriate for women.

4. Patriarchy

  • Patriarchy refers to a system that gives men power over women. It is often embedded in cultural norms, societal structures, and laws, perpetuating male dominance in many societies.

5. Time Use Survey (India)

  • A survey conducted in India revealed that women work more hours daily than men, but their labor (especially household work) is largely unpaid and invisible. Men, on the other hand, do visible work that generates income, making their contributions more recognized.
  • Gender Disparity: Women often work long hours, but their contributions are not acknowledged as real “work” in many societies, which reflects the devaluation of women’s roles.

6. Challenges for Women in India

  • Educational Disparity: In India, women face lower literacy rates (54%) compared to men (76%). This disparity affects their chances of pursuing higher education and career advancement.
  • Economic Disparity: Despite doing significant work, women are often paid less than men for the same tasks. The Equal Remuneration Act (1976) aims to address this, but gender pay gaps remain prevalent.
  • Sex-Selective Abortion: Due to a cultural preference for sons, female infanticide and sex-selective abortion have led to a decline in child sex ratio in India. This is further evidence of systemic gender bias.
  • Violence Against Women: Women, particularly in urban areas, face harassment, domestic violence, and exploitation. This includes physical abuse, sexual harassment, and unsafe public spaces.

7. Political Representation of Women

  • Despite the struggles, women’s political representation has been low. In India, women make up only 14.36% of the Lok Sabha (the Indian Parliament), and less than 5% of state assemblies.
  • Panchayati Raj System: To address this, India has reserved one-third of local government seats for women. This has led to over 10 lakh elected women representatives in local bodies.
  • Women’s Reservation Bill: The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023), which reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, is a significant step forward. However, women’s representation in national politics is still low in comparison to other countries.

8. Global Comparison

  • Globally, countries like Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway) have high levels of women’s political representation, with women making up nearly 45% of the parliament. In contrast, India ranks lower, with only 14.36% of women in Lok Sabha.

9. Why Is This Political?

  • Gender inequality and the lack of women’s political representation are political issues because they affect the distribution of power in society. When women are excluded from politics, their issues, including education, employment, and safety, are not adequately addressed.
  • Feminist movements argue that unless women control political power, their problems will not receive the attention they deserve.

Additional Knowledge and Concepts for Competitive Exams:

  1. Political Participation and Gender: Historically, politics has been dominated by men, but women have fought for suffrage, equal rights, and political representation. This fight for equality, reflected in laws like the Women’s Reservation Act, is essential in understanding political movements and gender roles.
  2. Patriarchy and Its Impact: Patriarchy shapes societies and impacts gender equality by perpetuating ideas that women should only focus on domestic duties. This concept is critical in understanding societal structures that influence politics, economics, and rights.
  3. Feminism: Feminism is crucial in political science discussions as it pushes for gender equality and challenges structures that oppress women. It has led to social reforms, like changes in family laws and workplace regulations.
  4. Time Use Survey: Studies like the Time Use Survey in India are helpful in understanding how gender roles influence daily activities and work patterns, and how women’s contributions remain undervalued. This information is vital for discussions on labor economics and gender studies.
  5. Gender-based Violence: Understanding the scale and types of gender-based violence (domestic violence, sexual harassment) is key for social policy, law, and justice systems in competitive exams.
  6. Impact of Gender on Politics: The political underrepresentation of women has global significance. Understanding the gender gap in politics helps to analyze democracy, representation, and power dynamics in different countries. It also offers insight into legislative reforms like quotas and their potential impact.
  7. Religious and Communal Politics: The relationship between religion and politics is essential in political science. The ways religious identities and laws intersect with gender equality can influence political movements, social justice, and legal reforms, especially in multi-religious countries like India.

Communalism

  1. Definition: Communalism occurs when religion becomes the basis of a nation’s identity. It becomes dangerous when religious differences are emphasized in politics, leading to conflict between religious communities.
  2. Exclusive and Partisan Politics: The belief that one religion is superior and that different religious groups cannot coexist peacefully leads to communal politics. This results in the domination of one religion over others, often backed by state power.
  3. Types of Communalism:
    • Prejudices: Everyday religious biases and stereotypes that make one religion feel superior to others.
    • Political Domination: Majority communities may seek political dominance, while minority communities may desire political separation.
    • Religious Mobilization: Political leaders use religious symbols, leaders, and emotions to rally voters from one religion.
    • Violence: In extreme cases, communalism leads to riots, massacres, and violence, as seen during the Partition of India.
  4. Secular State:
    • India’s Constitution: India’s Constitution promotes secularism, meaning the state does not favor any religion. It ensures freedom of religion, equality, and prohibits religious discrimination.
    • Secularism as a Foundation: It is a core principle of Indian democracy and a safeguard against communalism. Secularism in India does not mean ignoring religion but ensuring equal treatment of all religions.

Caste and Politics

  1. Caste System:
    • The caste system in India is unique, based on hereditary occupations, where people were traditionally grouped into categories like “upper” and “lower” castes.
    • Untouchability: People from lower castes (Dalits) were treated as “untouchables” and subjected to extreme discrimination.
    • Social Reform: Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and Jotirao Phule fought against caste discrimination and worked for a society where caste-based inequalities are eliminated.
  2. Impact of Modernization:
    • With urbanization, education, and economic development, caste divisions have lessened in some areas, but caste-based discrimination persists.
    • The historical disadvantages faced by lower castes in terms of education and economic opportunities continue to affect them today. However, more lower-caste people are now moving up due to education and economic changes.
  3. Caste in Politics:
    • Caste-Based Voting: Political parties often consider caste when choosing candidates and in election strategies. Some parties may favor certain castes, especially in areas where that caste is dominant.
    • Caste and Electoral Politics: In India’s elections, no single caste dominates a constituency. Voters often choose based on a mix of caste, political party affiliation, and candidate appeal.
    • Coalitions: Castes may form alliances with other groups, creating complex political coalitions to secure power.
  4. Positive and Negative Aspects:
    • Positive: Caste-based political movements have empowered marginalized groups (Dalits, OBCs) to demand their rights, including access to resources, land, and political power.
    • Negative: When politics focuses only on caste, it can divide people, distracting from important national issues like development and poverty. In some cases, it leads to social tensions and violence.
  5. Changes in Caste Inequality:
    • While the caste system’s traditional structure is breaking down, economic inequality still correlates strongly with caste. Upper castes generally remain wealthier, while Dalits and Adivasis (tribal groups) continue to face greater poverty.
    • Economic Status: Caste groups still follow the old hierarchy in terms of average economic status. Upper castes tend to have better economic conditions, while lower castes remain poorer.

Additional Key Knowledge:

  • Secularism: In India, secularism is essential not only to ensure equal treatment for all religions but also to prevent the rise of religious-based politics (communalism).
  • Caste and Economic Mobility: Despite constitutional efforts to eradicate caste-based discrimination, caste continues to influence access to economic resources, education, and social status.
  • Political Mobilization: Both caste and communal politics are used for mobilizing voters, often leading to electoral strategies based on identity rather than policies that benefit society as a whole.
  • Important Leaders: Leaders like Ambedkar played a crucial role in advocating for the rights of marginalized communities, shaping India’s Constitution to address social justice.

THESE ALL ARE THE NOTES OF CHAPTER 3 POLITICAL SCIENCE. AND AFTER SOME TIME YOU GET IMPORTANT QUESTIONS HERE. *#THANKS FOR VISITING, VISIT AGAIN#* 😊