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Summary
Society Class 05

THE CLASS STARTED WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS TOPICS (04:36 PM)

WOMEN ISSUES (04:39 PM)

  • Concept of Gender:
  • It is referred to as a 'socially constructed aspect between men and women'
  • Its manifestation is seen at the 'individual level', 'Cultural level', and 'Structural levels'.
  • At the individual level it is the 'source of identity' for example: Male/Female.
  • At cultural level gender shapes 'Values, beliefs, desires, behaviour, aspirations,' etc.
  • At the Structural level it leads to division of labour.
  • "You are not born with gender, you do gender"
  • The impact of Gender stereotyping on the social position of women is seen on multiple fronts.
  • Impact of Gender stereotyping on the social position of women:
  • Gender Stereotypes Social position of women
    Women is caring and nurturing. 
    • Women are associated with 'unpaid work' 
    • Undervaluation of care work.
    • It restricts the women within the domestic space. 

    Women Possess Soft skills.
    • Certain jobs are kept specifically for Women called 'pink-collar jobs' 
    • For Example, Nurse, Air Hostess, and HR. 

    Women are emotional and incapable of making rational decisions. 
    • The Glass Ceiling is observed, it is the transparent ceiling in every organization, beyond which women are not promoted, and often she is confined to a lower rung.
    • 'Glass cliff' There has been a trend that in times of crisis, women are promoted to decision-making authority as the risk of failure is high.
  • The concept of gender draws its legitimacy from a 'patriarchal society'
  • Patriarchy:
  • Patriarchy refers to 'a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, exploit, and discriminate against women'
  • Although patriarchy refers to the domination of men, women equally play a significant role in perpetuating patriarchy, it is known as a 'Patriarchal bargain'
  • Women bargain with patriarchy to support male dominance and get protection, status, and resources inside the system which she consider she might lose if she challenge the system.
  • Patriarchy as a concept is 'not constant' and gender relations have changed over time and space.
  • The nature of control and subjugation although a pan-Indian feature, varies with respect to caste, class, religion, ethnicity, etc.
  • Structure of Patriarchy:
  • The first lessons of patriarchy are learnt at the family level.
  • For Example, Colour preferences, toys, behaviour, etc.
  • The patrilineal + Patrilocal nature of families reduces the status of the girl child in the family.
  • For Example: Boy--> Inheritor and Girl----> 'Paraya Dhan'
  • Knowledge System: Patriarchal construction of knowledge also perpetuates patriarchal ideology. It is manifested through the education system and media.
  • Role of Education System: Content coloured with gender biases, and attitudes of teachers is prejudiced. 
  • Lack of separate functional toilets is a reason for dropouts among girl children.
  • The attitude of the teachers also reinforces the patriarchal prejudices in society.
  • Role of Media:
  • Glorification of 'toxic behaviour of male protagonists' in cinema, for example, in 'Kabir Singh', 'Animal' Movie.
  • Promoting Damsel and distressed image of women.
  • Objectification and commodification by the media. For Example, AXE deo Advertisement and others.
  • Symbolism:
  • More subtle expression of patriarchy is perpetuated by creating self-sacrificing images of women.
  • It is done through 'ideological indoctrination', through which the notion of ideal womanhood is created.
  • For Example, The image of women is created through TV serials.
  • Role of Religion:
  • Patriarchal construction of social practices is legitimized by religion and religious institutions as sometimes their customs and practices regard 'male authority' as 'superior'
  • Laws regarding Marriage, inheritance, and property rights are biased against females. For Example, Triple Talaq, Female Genital Mutilation, etc.
  • According to Simone de Beauvoir, Religion is an instrument of deception.
  • According to feminist scholar Beena Das, 'Devi-Dasi Dichotomy' is a prevalent phenomenon. It simply means we worship our female goddesses but society has failed to give them their due rights.
  • Caste:
  • Caste and gender are closely related as the sexuality of women is directly related to the purity of caste, hence caste system and caste endogamy tend to retain control over the labour and sexuality of women.
  • Caste not only determines the 'social division of labour' but also the 'sexual division of labour'
  • Brahmanical patriarchy is the concept by 'Uma Chakravarti' according to which when the notions of purity and pollution have been extended to women, it is referred to as 'Brahmanical patriarchy'.
  • For Example, Restriction on pratiloma marriage, taboo with respect to premarital sex, and restrictions in caste with respect to the female labour force participation.
  • Issues of Patriarchy:
  • Wage Gap
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Dual burden
  • Glass ceiling
  • Pink Collared jobs.
  • Patriarchy Vis-a-vis Work:
  • Earlier women were confined to the private sphere due to patriarchy.
  • However, With globalization, the high cost of living, and access to education their participation in the labour market increased.
  • It was assumed that patriarchy was being challenged, however, patriarchy has shown immense resilience.

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE (06:31 PM)

  • Statistics:
  • According to an Oxfam report, more than 80% of women are actively engaged in agriculture. (47% Self-employed farmers and 33% Agriculture labour) (80% of farm work and 90% of dairy work is performed by women.)
  • According to Agriculture Census (2015-16) around 14% of Land holdings are owned by women.
  • It is said if women are provided equal access to agricultural resources agricultural productivity will increase by 4%.
  • Wage disparity is approximately 35.8%.
  • According to a report by the Corteva Agriscience report, Around 78% of women in agriculture are subjected to some form of discrimination.
  • Feminization of Agriculture:
  • It is defined as a measurable increase in women's participation in the agricultural sector.
  • Causes of feminization of Agriculture:
  • Although globalization has increased opportunities, they are limited to educated and skilled people hence women are largely confined to the agricultural sector.
  • Poverty leads to women working on the land to sustain the family.
  • Economic Factors Socio-cultural Factors: 
    Male-specific migration and women left behind to work on the land.  Due to patriarchy, women have low bargaining power. 
    Cheap Labour Cultural acceptance of Women working in agriculture. 
    According to an Economic survey, 84% of the farmers are small and marginal, hence, Small and Marginal farmers can not hire labour and so they are dependent on women's labour force.  The problem of farmers' suicides. 
      Women constitute flexible labour.
      Due to patriarchy, they have less bargaining power and easy to make them work for longer hours with less payment.
      Easy to manage the 'dual burden'
  • Practice Question: Critically analyze the Impact of the Feminization of Agriculture on women in the context of Indian society (150 Words/10 Marks)
  • Approach:
  • Introduction: In the introduction, you can mention the data on the feminization of agriculture.
  • Linking Statement: Feminization is a double-edged sword and it has both positive and negative implications.
  • Body:
  • Positive Impacts:
  • Authonomy in decision making.
  • Financial empowerment.
  • Entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
  • It can act as an agent of change, It can bring change in the standard of living, nutrition, etc.
  • Feminization of Agriculture in the long run may change the attitude with respect to women from liability to assets.
  • Challenges:
  • Women have around 14% land ownership
  • They lack assets.
  • Women have less access to institutional credit and hence they take support from local moneylenders at higher interest rates.
  • They do not have autonomy with respect to the decision-making about crop selection, marketing, etc.
  • Lack of gender-friendly farm equipment.
  • Only 5% of women have access to agriculture extension services.
  • Conclusion: According to FAO, If women were provided equal access to resources like land, credit, technology, etc. then agriculture production would increase by 4%
  • (*Agriculture Extension Services: It provides farmers with updated information regarding technology, market trends, weather forecasts, pest management, sustainable farming methods, etc.

THE TOPC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: WOMEN ISSUES (To be Continued...)