Gender, Religion and Caste Class 10 Notes

Gender, Religion and Caste is Chapter 3 of Class 10 Political Science (NCERT, Democratic Politics II). It looks at three kinds of social differences and asks one question: when do these differences become healthy political demands, and when do they become harmful divisions?

These notes explain the chapter in simple English, with key terms and the questions that come most often in board exams.

Chapter at a glance

Gender: the division of work between men and women is social, not natural. Political mobilisation has helped improve women’s role in public life.
Religion: religion in politics is not always a problem. Communalism is the problem: when one religion is seen as superior and religious identity is used against others.
India is a secular state: there is no official religion, and the Constitution guarantees religious freedom.
Caste: caste inequalities have declined but not disappeared. Caste plays several roles in elections, both positive and negative.

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Gender and politics

Public and private division

Society assigns different roles to men and women. Boys and girls are brought up to believe that women’s main responsibility is housework and bringing up children. This is the sexual division of labour. Most women do housework and also paid work, but their work is not valued or recognised. Men are expected to handle work outside the home.

Women’s political role was minimal in most societies because of this division. Women in different parts of the world organised and agitated for equal rights: voting rights, equal rights in education and work, and in family life. These movements are called feminist movements. Today, women’s role in public life is much greater in some countries, like the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Where women are behind in India

India is still a patriarchal society, meaning men are valued more and have more power than women. Women face disadvantage in many areas:

Literacy: the literacy rate among women is lower than among men. Fewer girls go for higher studies.
Work and pay: on average, an Indian woman works more hours than a man every day, but much of her work is unpaid. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 says equal wages should be paid for equal work, but women are still paid less than men in many areas.
Sex ratio: parents often prefer sons. Sex-selective abortion has led to a decline in the child sex ratio in some states.
Safety: there are many reports of harassment, exploitation and violence against women, both inside and outside the home.

Women’s political representation

The share of women in the Lok Sabha has historically been low, far below one-third.
In local government, one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities are reserved for women. As a result, there are lakhs of elected women representatives in rural and urban local bodies.
In 2023, Parliament passed a constitutional amendment (the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women. It is to come into effect after the next census and delimitation.

Your NCERT book may give older figures and discuss this reservation only as a demand, so use the textbook’s figures in the exam and mention recent changes only if the question allows.

Religion, communalism and politics

When is religion in politics acceptable?

Gandhiji said religion can never be separated from politics. By religion, he meant ethics and moral values common to all religions, not any particular faith. Human rights groups have pointed out that religious minorities often suffer the most in communal riots. The women’s movement has argued that family laws of all religions discriminate against women. These are all fair ways in which religion and politics meet, as long as every religion is treated equally.

Communalism

The problem begins when:

religion is seen as the basis of the nation,
the beliefs of one religion are presented as superior to others,
followers of one religion are made to feel that they have common interests that are opposed to those of others, and
state power is used to establish the domination of one religious group over the rest.

Forms of communalism

Everyday beliefs: religious prejudice, stereotypes of religious communities and belief in the superiority of one’s own religion.
Political dominance: a majority community seeking dominance, or a minority community seeking a separate political unit.
Political mobilisation on religious lines: using sacred symbols, religious leaders and emotional appeals to bring followers of one religion together in politics.
Communal violence: riots and massacres. India and Pakistan suffered terrible communal riots at the time of Partition.

India as a secular state

The makers of the Constitution chose a secular model:

There is no official religion for the Indian state. Unlike the status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka or Islam in Pakistan, our Constitution does not give a special status to any religion.
It gives all individuals and communities freedom to profess, practise and propagate any religion, or not to follow any.
It prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
It allows the state to intervene in religious matters to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans untouchability.

Caste and politics

Caste inequalities

Caste is a form of social division that is special to India. Members of the same caste group were supposed to form a social community that practised the same or similar occupations, married within the group and did not eat with members of other caste groups. The worst form of discrimination was untouchability.

Social reformers like Jotiba Phule, Gandhiji, B.R. Ambedkar and Periyar Ramaswami Naicker worked for a society free of caste inequality. With economic development, urbanisation, the growth of literacy and education, occupational mobility and the weakening of the position of landlords in villages, the old notions of caste hierarchy are breaking down. The Constitution prohibits caste-based discrimination.

However, caste has not disappeared. Most people still marry within their own caste, untouchability continues in some forms despite being banned, and the effects of centuries of advantage and disadvantage are still felt. Caste is still closely linked to economic status.

Caste in politics

Parties often choose candidates keeping in mind the caste composition of the electorate.
Parties appeal to caste sentiment to win support.
Universal adult franchise and the principle of one person, one vote made leaders pay attention to all castes.

But elections are not only about caste:

No parliamentary constituency in India has a clear majority of one single caste.
No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste or community.
Many political parties may put up candidates from the same caste.
The ruling party and sitting MPs or MLAs frequently lose elections, which would not happen if caste decided everything.

Politics in caste

Politics also changes caste. Each caste group tries to become bigger by including neighbouring castes. Caste groups form coalitions with other castes. New groups, like “backward” and “forward” caste groups, have come up in politics.

Positive effect: caste-based politics has helped Dalits and OBCs gain better access to decision-making.
Negative effect: focusing only on caste can divert attention from issues like poverty, development and corruption, and can lead to tension and violence.

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Sexual division of labour	A system in which work inside the home is done by women and work outside by men
Feminist	A woman or man who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women and men
Patriarchy	A system that values men more and gives them power over women
Communalism	Using religion to divide people and seeking dominance of one religious group
Secular state	A state with no official religion that treats all religions equally
Caste hierarchy	A ladder-like arrangement of caste groups from “highest” to “lowest”
Occupational mobility	Shift from one occupation to another, usually across generations

Important questions

What is the sexual division of labour? How has it affected women’s role in public life? (3 marks)
Describe the different aspects of life in which women are discriminated against or disadvantaged in India. (5 marks)
What is communalism? Explain the various forms it can take in politics. (5 marks)
Explain the constitutional provisions that make India a secular state. (3 marks)
“Caste alone cannot determine election results in India.” Justify. (3 marks)
What changes in society have weakened the caste hierarchy in India? (3 marks)

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FAQs

Is religion in politics always bad?

No. Religion can shape ethical values in politics, and religious communities can raise their needs and interests as long as all religions are treated equally. The problem is communalism, where religion is used to divide people and dominate others.

What is the difference between a secular state and an atheist state?

A secular state has no official religion but allows everyone to follow any religion freely. It does not oppose religion. It keeps a principled distance from all religions and treats them equally.

Which chapters should I revise with this one?

Revise it with Power Sharing, which explains power sharing among social groups, and Outcomes of Democracy, which discusses how democracy accommodates social diversity.

More Class 10 Social Science notes

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