Page 204 - SST Class 07
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Unpacking Gender 27
q Gender inequality q Agencies of gender inequality
q Crimes against women q Efforts for ending gender inequality
q Actual situation q Indifference to women’s labour
Introduction honour. She is looked upon as mother and sister.
However, history is witness that cruelty has been
Gender inequality arises when distinctions are
exercised against women during wars and
made between males and females. Woman is
discriminated against in almost all aspects of life. invasions. Disrespect to women occurs due to a
particular mental proclivity. Due to it, women
Woman is dominated, oppressed and exploited by
came to be considered more of a liability than an
man. Time has come when this discrimination must asset.
be ended.
In ancient India, women could mingle with men
GENDER INEQUALITY openly. They could go to school and take part in
open debates. However, during the invasions in
There are many types of inequalities in our the medieval period, they were put behind veils
society. Some of these inequalities occur more
so that they could be saved from invaders, and
due to individual causes than social causes, such
this changed into a custom. This was one of the
as rich and poor, literate and illiterate etc. reasons that girls were married off at an age when
However, some types of inequalities occur due to
it was time for them to play with toys.
social causes, such as high and low castes, gender
inequality etc. The inequalities which exist due to These factors transformed our mindset a great
social causes exist due to our specific mental deal. This has resulted in the following views :
inclination. It is a completely biased view to think q Girls are soft and delicate as compared to
that some castes are higher and some are lower, boys.
or that males should enjoy more power and
facilities than females. The discrimination made q Girls are unfit for the jobs which require
mental and bodily strength.
between two people only because one being a
boy and the other a girl, is called gender q Girls are fit for household jobs and not
inequality. outdoor jobs.
These views have made our society male-
Info Bits dominating.
Info Bits
Many social workers as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Just Think!
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Swami Vivekananda,
Mahatma Gandhi etc. have worked to improve the Do you think women are unfit for outside work?
condition of women in our society. Why or why not?
Background of Gender Inequality
True Position
In India, woman has always been a subject of
Despite the age-old beliefs that discriminate against
Contemporary Social Science-7
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