Gender, Religion and Caste PDF

Gender, Religion and ed Caste h pu T s re R i bl E Overview be C Chapter 4 In the previous chapter we noted that the existence...

Gender, Religion and ed Caste h pu T s re R i bl E Overview be C Chapter 4 In the previous chapter we noted that the existence of social diversity does not threaten democracy. Political expression of social differences o N is possible and sometimes quite desirable in a democratic system. In this chapter we apply these ideas to the practice of democracy in India. We look at three kinds of social differences that can take the © form of social divisions and inequalities. These are social differences based on gender, religion and caste. In each case we look at the nature of this division in India and how it gets expressed in politics. We also ask whether different expressions based on these differences are healthy or otherwise in a democracy. G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e tt no 39  Gender and politics Public/private division Boys and girls are brought up to believe that the main responsibility of women is housework and bringing up children. This is reflected in a SEXUAL DIVISION OF ed LABOUR in most families: women do all work inside the home such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, tailoring, looking after children, etc., and men do h all the work outside the home. It is not that men cannot do housework; they pu T simply think that it is for women to is © Zuban attend to these things. When these jobs re R are paid for, men are ready to take up bl A poster from Bengal affirming women’s these works. Most tailors or cooks in hotels are men. Similarly, it is not that E strength. women do not work outside their home. In villages, women fetch water, collect be C Let us begin with gender division. This fuel and work in the fields. In urban Sexual division of labour: is a form of hierarchical social division areas, poor women work as domestic A system in which all work seen everywhere, but is rarely recognised helper in middle class homes, while o N inside the home is either in the study of politics. The gender middle class women work in offices. In done by the women of the division tends to be understood as natural family, or organised by fact the majority of women do some them through the and unchangeable. However, it is not sort of paid work in addition to based on biolog y but on social © domestic helpers. domestic labour. But their work is not expectations and stereotypes. valued and does not get recognition. The result of this division of labour is that although women constitute half of the humanity, their role in public life, especially politics, is minimal in most societies. Earlier, only men were allowed to participate in public affairs, vote and Democratic Politics tt contest for public offices. Gradually the gender issue was raised in politics. Why not? If Women in different parts of the world Why are we politics is about organised and agitated for equal rights. no discussing things power, then There were agitations in different like household surely male countries for the extension of voting work in this dominance in the rights to women. These agitations textbook on household should Political Science? demanded enhancing the political and be considered Is this politics? legal status of women and improving political. 40  their educational and career question helped to improve women’s opportunities. More radical women’s role in public life. We now find women movements aimed at equality in personal working as scientists, doctors, engineers, and family life as well. These movements lawyers, managers and college and are called FEMINIST movements. university teachers which were earlier not Political expression of gender considered suitable for women. In some division and political mobilisation on this parts of the world, for example in h ed pu T is re R bl E be C o N © G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e tt no Feminist: A woman © Zuban or a man who believes in equal rights Discuss all these perceptions of an ideal woman that prevail in our society. Do you and opportunities for agree with any of these? If not, what is your image of an ideal woman? women and men. 41  Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, dominated, PATRIARCHAL society. Women Norway and Finland, the participation face disadvantage, discrimination and of women in public life is very high. oppression in various ways: In our country, women still lag much  The literacy rate among women is behind men despite some improvement only 54 per cent compared with 76 per since Independence. Ours is still a male- cent among men. Similarly, a smaller ed + h A ‘time use survey’ was conducted in six states of our country. It pu T shows that an average woman works every day for a little over is seven and half hours while an average man works for six and a half hours. Yet the work done by men is more visible because re R most of their work leads to generation of income. Women also do bl a lot of direct income generating work, but the bulk of their work E is household related. This work remains unpaid and invisible. Daily time use (hours: minutes) be C Activities Men Women o N Income generating work 6:00 2:40 Household and related work 0:30 5:00 © Talking, Gossip 1:25 1:20 No work/ Leisure 3:40 3:50 Sleep, self-care, reading etc. 12:25 11:10 Source: Government of India, Time Use Survey, 1998-99. You can conduct a similar time use survey in your own household. Democratic Politics Observe all the adult male and female members of your family for tt one week. Every day note down the number of hours each of them spends on the following activities: income generating Patriarchy: Literally, activity (working at the office or shop or factory or field, etc.), no rule by father, this household related activity (cooking, cleaning, washing, fetching concept is used to refer water, looking after children or elders, etc.), reading and to a system that values recreation, talking/gossiping, self-care, taking rest or sleeping. If men more and gives necessary make new categories. Add up the time taken on each them power over activity for a week and calculate the daily average for each activity women. for each member. Do women work more in your family as well? 42  proportion of girl students go for higher  The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 studies. When we look at school results, Mummy always provides that equal wages should be paid says to outsiders: girls perform as well as boys, if not to equal work. However in almost all “I don’t work. I better in some places. But they drop out areas of work, from sports and cinema, am a housewife.” because parents prefer to spend their to factories and fields, women are paid But I see her resources for their boys’ education rather less than men, even when both do exactly working non-stop than spending equally on their sons and the same work. all the time. If daughters.  In many parts of India parents what she does is ed  No wonder the proportion of prefer to have sons and find ways to not work, what women among the highly paid and have the girl child aborted before she is else is work? valued jobs is still very small. On an born. Such sex-selective abortion led to average an Indian woman works one a decline in child sex ratio (number of h hour more than an average man every girl children per thousand boys) in the pu T day. Yet much of her work is not paid country to merely 914. As the map is and therefore often not valued. Can you identify your district on this map? re R What is the child sex ratio in it? How is it different from others with a different colour? bl Identify the States where most districts have E child sex ratio below 850. Compare this map with the poster on the next page. How do the two of them tell us about the be C same issue? Source: UNFPA, Missing... Mapping the Adverse Child Sex Ratio in India, 2005, p.3. o N © DELHI CHILD SEX RATIO G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e BELOW 800 800-849 850-899 tt 900-949 950 AND ABOVE DATA NOT AVAILABLE NATIONAL AVERAGE 914 no (2011 Census) Map not to scale 43  They are not safe even within their own home from beating, harassment and other forms of domestic violence. Women’s political representation All this is well known. Yet issues related to women’s well being or otherwise are ed not given adequate attention. This has led many feminists and women’s movements to the conclusion that unless women control power, their problems will not h get adequate attention. One way to pu T ensure this is to have more women as is elected representatives. © Oxfam GB re R In India, the proportion of women in legislature has been very low. For bl example, the percentage of elected E women members in Lok Sabha has shows, this ratio has fallen below 850 or crossed 10 per cent of its total strength even 800 in some places. for the first time in 2009. Their share in be C There are reports of various kinds the state assemblies is less than 5 per cent. of harassment, exploitation and violence In this respect, India is among the bottom o N against women. Urban areas have group of nations in the world (see the become particularly unsafe for women. graph below). India is behind the © Women in national parliaments in different regions of the world (in%) 45 World 40 42 Average 35 30 19.7 25 Democratic Politics 20 22.6 tt 20.8 20.4 15 18.3 10 12.4 11.3 Could you think of some 10.8 reasons why women’s 5 no representation is so low 0 in India? Do you think Nordic Americas *Europe Sub- Asia Pacific Arab India countries Saharan Africa States America’s and Europe have achieved a Region satisfactory level of *Europe – OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) member countries excluding Nordic women’s representation? countries. Note: Figures are for the per cent of women in the directly elected chambers of parliament as on 31 December 2011. Source: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm 44 averages for several developing countries reservation of at least one-third of of Africa and Latin America. In the seats in the Lok Sabha and State government, cabinets are largely all-male Assemblies for women. A bill with this even when a woman becomes the Chief proposal has been pending before the Minister or the Prime Minister. Parliament for more than a decade. But One way to solve this problem is to there is no consensus over this among make it legally binding to have a fair all the political parties. The bill has not proportion of women in the elected been passed. If casteism and ed bodies. This is what the Panchayati Raj Gender division is an example that communalism are has done in India. One-third of seats in some form of social division needs to bad, what makes local government bodies – in panchayats be expressed in politics. This also shows feminism a good thing? Why don’t and municipalities – are now reserved that disadvantaged groups do benefit h we oppose all for women. Now there are more than when social divisions become a political pu T those who divide 10 lakh elected women representatives issue. Do you think that women could is the society on in rural and urban local bodies. have made the gains we noted above if any lines – caste, re R Women’s org anisations and their unequal treatment was not raised religion or bl activists have been demanding a similar in the political domain? gender? E be C o N © G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e tt © Surender - The Hindu no This cartoon offers an understanding of why the Women’s Reservation Bill has not been passed in the Parliament. Do you agree with this reading? 45  Religion, communalism and politics h ed pu T is re R bl E be C o N Let us now turn to a very different kind particular religion like Hinduism or Islam of social division, the division based on but moral values that inform all religions. © religious differences. This division is not He believed that politics must be guided as universal as gender, but religious by ethics drawn from religion. diversity is fairly widespread in the world  Human rights groups in our country today. Many countries including India have argued that most of the victims of have in their population, followers of communal riots in our country are different religions. As we noticed in the people from religious minorities. They case of Northern Ireland, even when have demanded that the government most of the people belong to the same take special steps to protect religious Democratic Politics tt religion, there can be serious differences minorities. about the way people practice that  Women’s movement has argued religion. Unlike gender differences, the that FAMILY LAWS of all religions no religious differences are often expressed discriminate against women. So they I am not religious. in the field of politics. have demanded that government should Why should I Consider the following: change these laws to make them more bother about equitable.  Gandhiji used to say that religion can communalism and never be separated from politics. What All these instances involve a secularism? he meant by religion was not any relationship between religion and politics. 46 But they do not seem very wrong or same social community. If the followers I often crack dangerous. Ideas, ideals and values of different religion have some jokes about drawn from different religions can and commonalities these are superficial and people from one perhaps should play a role in politics. immaterial. Their interests are bound to religion. Does People should be able to express in be different and involve a conflict. In its that make me politics their needs, interests and demands extreme form communalism leads to the communal? as a member of a religious community. belief that people belonging to different Those who hold political power should religions cannot live as equal citizens ed sometimes be able to regulate the within one nation. Either, one of them practice of religion so as to prevent has to dominate the rest or they have to discrimination and oppression. These form different nations. political acts are not wrong as long as This belief is fundamentally flawed. h they treat every religion equally. People of one religion do not have the pu T Communalism same interests and aspirations in every is context. Everyone has several other roles, The problem begins when religion is seen re R as the basis of the nation. The example positions and identities. There are many voices inside every community. All these bl of Northern Ireland in Chapter 3 shows voices have a right to be heard. Therefore E the dangers of such an approach to any attempt to bring all followers of one nationalism. The problem becomes religion together in context other than more acute when religion is expressed be C religion is bound to suppress many voices in politics in exclusive and partisan terms, within that community. when one religion and its followers are pitted against another. This happens when Communalism can take various o N beliefs of one religion are presented as forms in politics: superior to those of other religions,  The most common expression of when the demands of one religious communalism is in everyday beliefs. © group are formed in opposition to These routinely involve religious another and when state power is used prejudices, stereotypes of religious to establish domination of one religious communities and belief in the superiority group over the rest. This manner of of one’s religion over other religions. This G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e using religion in politics is communal is so common that we often fail to notice politics. it, even when we believe in it. Communal politics is based on the  A communal mind often leads to a idea that religion is the principal basis of quest for political dominance of one’s tt social community. Communalism own religious community. For those Family laws: Those involves thinking along the following belonging to majority community, this laws that deal with lines. The followers of a particular takes the for m of majoritarian family related matters no religion must belong to one community. dominance. For those belonging to the such as marriage, Their fundamental interests are the same. minority community, it can take the divorce, adoption, Any difference that they may have is form of a desire to form a separate inheritance, etc. In our irrelevant or trivial for community life. political unit. country, different family It also follows that people who follow laws apply to followers  Political mobilisation on religious of different religions. different religions cannot belong to the lines is another frequent form of 47  h ed pu T is re R bl We remain strangers E Even after so many meetings be C Blood stains remain Even after so many rains o N ‘Faiz’ © communalism. This involves the use of Secular state sacred symbols, religious leaders, Communalism was and continues to emotional appeal and plain fear in order be one of the major challenges to to bring the followers of one religion democracy in our country. The makers together in the political arena. In electoral of our Constitution were aware of this Democratic Politics politics this often involves special appeal challenge. That is why they chose the tt to the interests or emotions of voters model of a secular state. This choice was of one religion in preference to others. reflected in several constitutional  Sometimes communalism takes its provisions that we studied last year: no most ugly form of communal violence,  There is no official religion for the riots and massacre. India and Pakistan Indian state. Unlike the status of suffered some of the worst communal Buddhism in Sri Lanka, that of Islam in riots at the time of the Partition. The Pakistan and that of Christianity in post-Independence period has also seen England, our Constitution does not give large scale communal violence. a special status to any religion. 48  The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion, or not to follow any.  The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.  At the same time, the Constitution ed allows the state to intervene in the © Ajith Ninan - The Times of India matters of religion in order to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans untouchability. h Understood in this sense, secularism pu T is not just an ideology of some parties is or persons. This idea constitutes one of the foundations of our country. re R Communalism should not be seen as a bl threat to some people in India. It E threatens the very idea of India. That is why communalism needs to be combated. A secular Constitution like be C ours is necessary but not sufficient to countered in everyday life and religion- combat communalism. Communal based mobilisation needs to be prejudices and propaganda need to be countered in the arena of politics. o N © Caste and politics We have seen two instances of the this system, hereditary occupational expression of social divisions in the arena division was sanctioned by rituals. G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e of politics, one largely positive and the Members of the same caste group were other largely negative. Let us turn to our supposed to form a social community final case, that of caste and politics, that that practiced the same or similar has both positive and the negative aspects. occupation, married within the caste group and did not eat with members tt Caste inequalities from other caste groups. Unlike gender and religion, caste division Caste system was based on exclusion is special to India. All societies have some of and discrimination against the no kind of social inequality and some form ‘outcaste’ groups. They were subjected of division of labour. In most societies, to the inhuman practice of untouchability occupations are passed on from one about which you have studied in Class generation to another. Caste system is an IX. That is why political leaders and social extreme form of this. What makes it reformers like Jotiba Phule, Gandhiji, different from other societies is that in B.R. Ambedkar and Periyar Ramaswami 49  Social and Religious Diversity of India The Census of India records the religion of each and every Indian after every ten years. The person who fills the Census form visits every household and records the religion of each member of that household exactly the way each person describes it. If someone says she has ‘no religion’ or that he is an ‘atheist’, this is exactly how it is ed recorded. Thus we have reliable information on the proportion of different religious communities in the country and how it has changed over the years. The pie chart below presents the population proportion of six major religious groups in the country. Since Independence, the total population of each group has increased substantially but their proportion in the country’s population has not changed much. In percentage h terms, the population of the Hindus, Jains and Christians has declined marginally since pu T 1961. The proportion of Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist population has increased slightly. is There is a common but mistaken impression that the proportion of the Muslims in the re R country’s population is going to overtake other religious groups. Expert estimates done for the Prime Minister’s High Level Committee (popularly known as Sachar Committee) bl show that the proportion of the Muslims is expected to go up a little, by about 3 to 4 E per cent, in the next 50 years. It proves that in overall terms, the population balance of different religious groups is not likely to change in a big way. be C The same is true of the major caste groups. The Census of India counts two social groups: the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Both these broad groups include hundreds of castes or tribes whose names are listed in an official Schedule. o N Hence the prefix ‘Scheduled’ in their name. The Scheduled Castes, commonly known as Dalits, include those that were previously regarded as ‘outcaste’ in the Hindu social order and were subjected to exclusion and untouchability. The Scheduled Tribes, often referred to as Adivasis, include those communities that led a secluded life usually in © hills and forests and did not interact much with the rest of society. In 2001, the Scheduled Castes were 16.2 per cent and the Scheduled Tribes were 8.2 per cent of the country’s Population of different religious population. group in India, 2001 The Census does not yet count the Other Backward Classes, the group Hindu 80.5% we discussed in class IX. Hence there are some differences about Democratic Politics tt their proportion in the country’s Muslim population. The National Sample 13.4% Survey of 2004-05 estimates their no population to be around 41 per Others 1.9% cent. Thus the SC, ST and the Christian 2.3% Others include Buddhist 0.8% Jain 0.4% OBC together account for about All other religions 0.6% No religion 0.1% two-thirds of the country’s Sikh 1.9% Source: Census of India, 2001 population and about three-fourths of the Hindu population. 50 Naicker advocated and worked to establish a society in which caste I don’t care what Now you don’t like inequalities are absent. my caste is. Why it! Didn’t you tell are we discussing me that wherever Partly due to their efforts and partly all this in the there is domination, due to other socio-economic changes, textbook? Are we we should discuss it castes and caste system in modern India not promoting in Political Science? have undergone great changes. With casteism by Will caste disappear economic development, large scale talking about if we keep mum ed URBANISATION, growth of literacy and caste? about it? education, OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY and the weakening of the position of landlords in the villages, the old notions h of CASTE HIERARCHY are breaking down. pu T Now, most of the times, in urban areas is it does not matter much who is walking re R along next to us on a street or eating at the next table in a restaurant. The bl Constitution of India prohibited any be closely linked to economic status. E caste-based discrimination and laid the (See Plus Box on Page 52.) foundations of policies to reverse the Caste in politics be C injustices of the caste system. If a person who lived a century ago were to return As in the case of communalism, casteism to India, she would be greatly surprised is rooted in the belief that caste is the o N at the change that has come about in sole basis of social community. the country. According to this way of thinking, people belonging to the same caste Yet caste has not disappeared from belong to a natural social community and contemporary India. Some of the older © have the same interests which they do aspects of caste have persisted. Even not share with anyone from another caste. Urbanisation: Shift of now most people marry within their As we saw in the case of communalism, population from rural own caste or tribe. Untouchability has such a belief is not borne out by our areas to urban areas G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e not ended completely, despite experience. Caste is one aspect of our Occupational constitutional prohibition. Effects of mobility: Shift from experience but it is not the only relevant centuries of advantages and one occupation to or the most important aspect. disadvantages continue to be felt today. another, usually when a The caste groups that had access to Caste can take various forms in politics: new generation takes up tt education under the old system have  When parties choose candidates in occupations other than done very well in acquiring modern elections, they keep in mind the caste those practiced by their education as well. Those groups that did composition of the electorate and ancestors. no not have access to education or were nominate candidates from different Caste hierarchy: A prohibited from acquiring it have naturally castes so as to muster necessary support ladder like formation in lagged behind. That is why there is a to win elections. When governments are which all the caste groups are placed from disproportionately large presence of formed, political parties usually take care the ‘highest’ to the ‘upper caste’ among the urban middle that representatives of different castes and ‘lowest’ castes. classes in our country. Caste continues to tribes find a place in it. 51  Caste inequality today Caste is an important source of economic inequality because it regulates access to resources of various kinds. For example, in the past, the so-called ‘untouchable’ castes were denied the right to own land, while only the so-called ‘twice born’ castes had the right to education. Although this kind of explicit and ed formalised inequality based on caste is now outlawed, the effects of centuries of accumulated advantages and disadvantages continue to be felt. Moreover, new kinds of inequalities have also developed. The relationship between caste and economic status has certainly changed a lot. h Today, it is possible to find very rich and very poor people in every caste, whether ‘low’ or ‘high’. This was not true even twenty or thirty years ago – it pu T was very rare indeed to find rich people among the ‘lowest’ castes. However, as is this evidence from the National Sample Survey shows, caste continues to be very re R strongly linked to economic status in many important ways: bl  The average economic status (measured by criteria like monthly consumption expenditure) of caste groups still follows the old hierarchy – the ‘upper’ castes E are best off, the Dalits and Adivasis are worst off, and the backward classes are in between. be C  Although every caste has some poor members, the proportion living in extreme poverty (below the official ‘poverty line’) is much higher for the lowest castes and much lower for the upper castes, with the backward classes once o N again in between.  Although every caste has some members who are rich, the upper castes are heavily over-represented among the rich while the lower castes are severely under-represented. © Percentage of poulation living below the poverty line, 1999-2000 Caste and Community groups Rural Urban Scheduled Tribes 45.8 35.6 Scheduled Castes 35.9 38.3 Other Backward Classes 27.0 29.5 Muslim Upper Castes 26.8 34.2 Democratic Politics tt Hindu Upper Castes 11.7 9.9 Christian Upper Castes 9.6 5.4 Sikh Upper Castes 0.0 4.9 no Other Upper Castes 16.0 2.7 All Groups 27.0 23.4 Note: ‘Upper Caste’ here means those who are not from SC, ST, or OBC. Below the poverty line means those who spent Rs 327 or less per person per month in rural and Rs 454 or less per person per month in urban areas. Source: National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), Government of India, 55th Round, 1999-2000 52  Political parties and candidates in Clearly, while caste matters in elections make appeals to caste sentiment electoral politics, so do many other to muster support. Some political parties factors. The voters have strong are known to favour some castes and attachment to political parties which is are seen as their representatives. often stronger than their attachment to  Universal adult franchise and the their caste or community. People within principle of one-person-one-vote the same caste or community have compelled political leaders to gear up different interests depending on their ed to the task of mobilising and securing economic condition. Rich and poor or political support. It also brought new men and women from the same caste consciousness among the people of often vote very differently. People’s castes that were hitherto treated as assessment of the performance of the h inferior and low. government and the popularity rating of pu T the leaders matter and are often decisive The focus on caste in politics can is in elections. sometimes give an impression that re R elections are all about caste and nothing Politics in caste bl else. That is far from true. Just consider We have so far looked at what caste does these: E to politics. But it does not mean that there  No parliamentary constituency in is only a one-way relation between caste the country has a clear majority of one and politics. Politics too influences the be C single caste. So, every candidate and party caste system and caste identities by needs to win the confidence of more bringing them into the political arena. than one caste and community to win o N elections.  No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste or community. When © people say that a caste is a ‘vote bank’ of one party, it usually means that a large proportion of the voters from that caste vote for that party. G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e  Many political parties may put up © Ajith Ninan - India Today Book of Cartoons candidates from the same caste (if that caste is believed to dominate the electorate in a particular constituency). tt Some voters have more than one candidate from their caste while many voters have no candidate from their no caste.  The ruling party and the sitting MP or MLA frequently lose elections in our country. That could not have happened if all castes and communities were Do you think that political leaders are right to treat people belonging frozen in their political preferences. to a caste as ‘vote banks’? 53  Thus, it is not politics that gets caste- ridden, it is the caste that gets politicised. This takes several forms:  Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within it neighbouring castes or sub-castes which were earlier excluded from it. ed  Various caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes or communities and thus enter into a dialogue and negotiation. h  New kinds of caste groups have pu T come up in the political arena like is ‘backward’ and ‘forward’ caste groups. Thus, caste plays different kinds of re R roles in politics. In some situations, bl expression of caste differences in politics E gives many disadvantaged communities the space to demand their share of power. In this sense-caste politics has be C helped people from Dalits and OBC castes to gain better access to decision o N making. Several political and non-political organisations have been demanding and agitating for an end to discrimination against particular castes, for more dignity © and more access to land, resources and opportunities. At the same time exclusive attention to caste can produce negative results as well. As in the case of religion, politics based on caste identity alone is not very healthy in a democracy. It can divert attention from other pressing issues like Democratic Politics tt poverty, development and corruption. In some cases caste division leads to tensions, conflict and even violence. no 54 1. Mention different aspects of life in which women are discriminated or disadvantaged in India. 2. State different forms of communal politics with one example each. 3. State how caste inequalities are still continuing in India. 4. State two reasons to say that caste alone cannot determine Exercises ed election results in India. 5. What is the status of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies? 6. Mention any two constitutional provisions that make India a h secular state. pu T 7. When we speak of gender divisions, we usually refer to: is (a) Biological difference between men and women re R (b) Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women (c) Unequal child sex ratio bl (d) Absence of voting rights for women in democracies E 8. In India seats are reserved for women in (a) Lok Sabha (b) State legislative assemblies be C (c) Cabinets (d) Panchayati Raj bodies o N 9. Consider the following statements on the meaning of communal politics. Communal politics is based on the belief that: A. One religion is superior to that of others. B. People belonging to different religions can live together happily © as equal citizens. C. Followers of a particular religion constitute one community. D. State power cannot be used to establish the domination of one religious group over others. G e n d e r, R e l i g i o n a n d C a s t e Which of the statements is/are correct? (a) A, B, C, and D (b) A, B, and D (c) A and C (d) B and D 10. Which among the following statements about India’s Constitution is wrong? It (a) prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion. tt (b) gives official status to one religion. (c) provides to all individuals freedom to profess any religion. (d) ensures equality of citizens within religious communities. no 11. Social divisions based on _________ are peculiar to India. 55  12. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I List II 1. A person who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women and men A. Communalist d 2. A person who says that religion is the principal basis of community B. Feminist he 3. A person who thinks that caste is the principal basis of community C. Secularist 4. A person who does not discriminate pu T Exercises others on the basis of religious beliefs D. Castiest is re R 1 2 3 4 bl (a) B C A D (b) B A D C E (c) D C A B (d) C A B D be C N t © to Democratic Politics no 56