Gender, Religion and Caste

Gender and Politics

Gender Division — Hierarchical Social Division
Social Expectations and Stereotypes

Public/Private Division
Sexual Division of Labour: A system in which all work inside the home is either done by the women of
the family or organized by them through the domestic helpers.
Women - Cooking, Cleaning, Washing, Tailoring, Looking after Children {Inside Home}
Men - {Outside Home}
When cooking, cleaning etc. are paid — taken up by men (tailors/cooks)
Women - do paid work + domestic labour — not valued/recognized
Gender Issue - Politics
Organized and Agitated Fight for Equal Rights
→ Extension of Voting for Women
→ Enhancing Political, Legal Status of Women, Educational Opportunities, Career Opportunities
→ Equality in Personal & Family Life
— These movements: FEMINISM

Now: More Jobs for Women

Scandinavian Countries (Good Gender Equality) {Norway, Sweden, Finland}

India: Male-Dominated; Patriarchal Society

Ways Women Face Disadvantage:

1. Literacy Rate (54 Women : 76 Men)

a. Higher Studies — Parents refuse to send girls for higher studies

2. Small Proportion of Women in Highly Paid & Valued Jobs

3. Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 — Equal Wages should be paid to Equal Work

a. Women paid less than Men

4. Sex-selective abortion

Urban Areas — More unsafe

Women’s Political Representation

(2019)
Lok Sabha = 14.36% Women
State Assemblies < 5%

1/3rd of Seats in Local Government Bodies - Reserved for Women

10 LAKH elected representatives in rural an urban local bodies.
Such a bill for Parliament - still pending.

Religion, Communalism and Politics

Gender, Religion and Caste 1

 Gandhiji: Politics must be guided by the ethics and moral values that inform all religions.

Human Rights Groups — Special Steps by Government, to protect religious minorities.

Women’s Movement — Family Laws discriminate against women, in all religion. Wants Special Steps
from Government.

Ideas, Ideals and Values drawn from different religions can and perhaps should play a role in politics.

People should be able to express in politics their needs, interests and demands as a member of a
religious community.

Regulation of practice of religion — to prevent discrimination and oppression — political acts are not
wrong as long as they treat every religion equally.

Communalism
Communal Politics → “Religion is the principal basis of social community”
Beliefs/Demands of one religion — superior to another religion
State-power — used to establish domination of religious group
Communalism:
Followers of particular religion — one community; same interests
Followers of different religion — not in same social community

→ Belief: People of diff. religions cannot live as equal citizens within one nation
Forms of Communalism

1. Everyday Beliefs

a. Religious prejudices and stereotypes

b. Belief of superiority of one religion over another

2. Political Dominance

a. Majoritarian Dominance

b. Separate Political Unit

3. Political Mobilization

a. Use of sacred symbols, religion leaders, emotional appeal & fear → followers of one religion
together in political arena

b. Special appeal to voters using the above

4. Communal Violence ← Partition and Post-Independence

Secular State
1. No official religion

2. Freedom to profess, practice, and propagate any religion, or not to follow any

3. Prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion

4. Policy of intervention (banning of untouchability)

Communalism threatens the very IDEA OF INDIA.

Caste and Politics

Gender, Religion and Caste 2

 Caste Inequalities
Caste System: Exclusion of and discrimination against ‘outcaste’ groups
Hereditary Occupational Division ← Sanctioned by Rituals
Same Caste Group = Social Community — Same Occupation, Married within the Caste, Did not eat with
members from other caste groups
Economic Dev. + Growth of Literacy + Education + Occupational Mobility + Weakening of Landlords →
Caste System — Breaking Down
Constitution — Prohibited caste-based discrimination and laid the foundations of policies to reverse the
injustices of the caste system.

Caste Groups - Had access to education in the past — Good Economic status (now)
→ disproportionate presence of upper caste

Caste in Politics
“People belonging to the same caste belong to a natural social community and have the same interests
which they do not share with anyone from another caste!”
Forms of Caste in Politics

1. Pol. Parties ← Representatives of Different Castes and Tribes

2. Pol. Parties: Caste Sentiments + Favor some castes (seen as representatives of said caste)

3. UAF — new ideologies in the people treated of lower castes

Why elections are NOT just about caste

1. No constituency has clear majority of a caste — parties need to win confidence of more than one
caste.

2. No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste/community

3. Some voters — more than one candidate

Many voters — have no other candidate

4. Ruling party & Sitting MLA and MP freq. lose in elections

Voters: Attachment to POL Parties

Same Caste/Community — Rich, Poor, Men, Women ← Vote Differently

People’s assessment of the performance of government & the popularity rating of the leaders

Politics in Caste
Forms in which caste gets politicized:

1. Each caste group tries to become bigger — incorporating neighbouring/sub-classes

2. Various caste groups req. to enter into coalition — dialogue & negotiation

3. New kinds of caste groups: “backward” & “forward caste”

Adv:
Support to Disadvantaged Communities

Dis-Adv:
Divert Attention from more Pressing Issues

Gender, Religion and Caste 3

 Caste Div → Tensions, Conflict, Violence

Gender, Religion and Caste 4