Gender, Religion and Caste - Lecture Review Flashcards

These vocabulary flashcards define key terms, legislative acts, and demographic statistics related to social divisions in Indian democracy according to Chapter 3: Gender, Religion and Caste.

Gender division

A form of hierarchical social division understood as social expectations and stereotypes rather than biology, often seen as natural and unchangeable.

Sexual division of labour

A system in which all work inside the home is either done by the women of the family, or organised by them through the domestic helpers.

Feminist

A woman or a man who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women and men.

Patriarchy

Literally meaning "rule by father," this concept refers to a system that values men more and gives them power over women.

Literate population by gender (India)

The literacy rate among women is only $54\%$ compared with $76\%$ among men based on provided census-linked data.

Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

A law providing that equal wages should be paid for equal work, regardless of gender.

Child sex ratio

The number of girl children per thousand boys, which in India has declined to merely $919$ as per the $2011$ Census.

Representation in Lok Sabha ($2019$)

For the first time, elected women members touched $14.36\%$ of the total strength of the Lok Sabha in $2019$.

Nari shakti Vandan Adhiniyam

Also known as the Womens’ Reservation Act, $2023$, it provides $33\%$ reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Delhi Assembly.

Panchayati Raj Women's Reservation

A system in India where one-third of seats in rural and urban local government bodies are reserved for women.

Family laws

Laws that deal with family-related matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance, which vary by religion in India.

Communal politics

A manner of using religion in politics based on the idea that religion is the principal basis of social community and that one religion's interests are superior to others.

Secular state

A state model where there is no official religion, providing all individuals the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate any religion or none at all.

Caste system

An extreme form of hereditary occupational division special to India, originally sanctioned by rituals and involving the exclusion of "outcaste" groups.

Urbanisation

The shift of population from rural areas to urban areas, which has contributed to the breakdown of old notions of caste hierarchy.

Occupational mobility

The shift from one occupation to another, typically occurring when a new generation takes up work different from their ancestors.

Caste hierarchy

A ladder-like formation in which all caste groups are placed from the "highest" to the "lowest" castes.

Scheduled Castes (SC)

Commonly known as Dalits, these include groups previously regarded as "outcaste" in the Hindu social order and subjected to untouchability, making up $16.6\%$ of the population in $2011$.

Scheduled Tribes (ST)

Often referred to as Adivasis, these communities led a secluded life in hills and forests and constituted $8.6\%$ of the population in $2011$.

Other Backward Classes (OBC)

A group estimated by the National Sample Survey of $2004\text{--}05$ to account for about $41\%$ of India's population.

Sachar Committee

The Prime Minister’s High Level Committee that provided expert estimates on the proportion of the Muslim population in India.

Vote bank

A term used to describe a situation where a large proportion of voters from a specific caste or community vote for one specific political party.