'Politics too influences the caste system’. Examine the statement.
Politics too influences the caste system and caste identities by bringing them into the political arena. Thus, it is not the politics that get caste-ridden, it is the caste that get politicised. Politics in caste takes the following forms:
(i) Each caste tries to widen its base to gain majority. Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within it the neighbouring castes or sub-castes which were earlier excluded from it.
(ii) Various caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes or communities, and thus enter into a dialogue and negotiation.
(iii) New kinds of caste groups have came up in the political arena like ‘backward’ and ‘forward’ caste groups.
The provisions are:
(i) Unlike Buddhism in Sri Lanka or Islam in Pakistan, our Constitution does not give a special status to any religion.
(ii) The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion or not to follow any.
(iii) The Constitution prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion.
(iv) The Constitution allows the State to intervene in the matters of religion in order to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans untouchability
Caste plays an important role in politics. Explain.
Mentioned any three factors responsible for poor and miserable conditions of women in India.
The following factors are responsible for poor and miserable conditions of women in India:
(i) Illiteracy: Even after the independence of 62 years the female illiteracy rate in our country is 54% only. Smaller popuation of girl students go for higher studies.
(ii)Low sex ratio: Preference of boy over girl has led sex selective abortion.
(iii) Lack of representation in politics: Even after constituting half of the country's population, women have lower representation in Parliament and State Assemblies.
Women face disadvantage, discrimination and oppression in various ways:
(i)The literacy rate among women is only 54 per cent as compared to 76 per cent among men. This is because women are deprived of an equal access to education as the males in the society. Even a very small percentage of girls go for higher education and drop-out rate is also higher among the girls.
(ii)Proportion of women in highly paid jobs is very small. On an average Indian woman works an hours more than a man. Yet much of her work is not paid and therefore often not valued.
(iii)The preference to male child over the female child has led to sex selective abortion. This has lowered sex ratio in India.
(iv)Women are exploited and harassed at the workplace and at home. These are cases of harassment, exploitation in the urban areas as well. They are even subjected to domestic violence at homes.