Gender, Religion and Caste Class 10 NCERT Solutions & Notes PDF

Ans: Women face discrimination in various ways in our patriarchal society:
1. Literacy Rate: The literacy rate among women is only 65.4% compared to 82.1% among men. Fewer girls go for higher education.
2. Equal Pay: The Equal Remuneration Act provides that equal wages should be paid for equal work. However, in almost all areas, from sports to agriculture, women are paid less than men for the exact same work.
3. Sex Ratio: Due to a preference for male children, female infanticide and foeticide are prevalent, leading to a skewed sex ratio in many states.
4. Domestic Violence: Women are subjected to various forms of harassment, exploitation, and violence within their own homes and outside.

Ans: Communalism can take various forms in politics:
1. Everyday Beliefs: Religious prejudices, stereotypes of religious communities, and belief in the superiority of one's religion over others. (Example: Militant religious groups).
2. Political Dominance: A majoritarian community trying to form a dominant political force, while a minority community desires a separate political unit. (Example: Sinhala supremacy in Sri Lanka).
3. Political Mobilization: Using sacred symbols, religious leaders, and emotional appeals to bring followers of one religion together in the political arena. (Example: Asking for votes in the name of religion).
4. Communal Violence: The ugliest form of communalism is communal violence, riots, and massacre. (Example: India-Pakistan partition riots).

Ans: Even today, caste has not completely disappeared from India:
1. Endogamy: Most people still marry within their own caste or tribe.
2. Untouchability: Despite being prohibited by the Constitution, untouchability has not ended completely in rural pockets.
3. Education and Economy: The caste groups that had access to education under the old system still do well, while the marginalized castes lag behind. There is a disproportionately large presence of 'upper caste' people among the urban middle classes.

Ans: Women's political representation in India has historically been very low. For a long time, the percentage of elected women members in the Lok Sabha rarely crossed 14%. However, in local government bodies (Panchayats and Municipalities), one-third of the seats are legally reserved for women, resulting in over 10 lakh elected women representatives in rural and urban local bodies.

Ans: The sexual division of labour is a system in which all work inside the home is either done by the women of the family or organized by them through domestic helpers. Meanwhile, men are expected to do all the work outside the home to earn a living. This is not based on biology, but on social expectations and stereotypes.

Ans: The makers of the Indian Constitution were aware of the dangers of communalism and chose the model of a secular state. The key provisions are:
1. No Official Religion: Unlike Buddhism in Sri Lanka or Islam in Pakistan, the Indian state has no official religion.
2. Freedom of Religion: The Constitution provides all individuals and communities the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate any religion, or not to follow any.
3. No Discrimination: The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion in matters of employment or public life.
4. State Intervention: At the same time, the Constitution allows the state to intervene in matters of religion to ensure equality within religious communities (for example, it bans untouchability).