Gender, Religion

& Caste

What Disadvantages Do Women Face?

1) Literacy Rate - 54% for women.76% for men showing disparity

2) Smaller proportion of girls go for higher studies3) Preferential treatment meted out to boy`s education rather

than for girls4) Proportion of women among highly paid and valued job is

small5) Equal wages Act provides equal wages but discrimination

continues in sports, cinema, factories and fields6) Preference to have sons and abortion of girl child7) Sex selective abortions have led to decline in child sex ratio8) Various types of harassment, exploitation and violence 9) Urban areas too have become unsafe for women

Solution To This Problem…

1) To make it legally binding to have a fair proportion of women in elected bodies

2) Reservation of 1/3 seats in local bodies3) 10 lakh elected representatives in rural and

urban local bodies4) Demand for 1/3 seats in Lok Sabha and

State Assemblies

Give A Few Instances That Involve Relationship Between Religion &

Politics.1) Gandhiji believed that politics must be

guided by ethics drawn from religion2) Human rights groups demanding the

Government to take special steps to protect religious minorities

3) Women`s movements want Government to change family laws to make it equitable

Communalism…• To place ones community above everything

including the nationWhen does it begin?• When religion is seen as the basis of the

nationWhen does it become acute? • When religion is expressed in politics in

exclusive and partisan terms• When one religion and its followers

are pitted against the other

Communalism…

What factors promote communalism?1)Beliefs of one religion are presented as superior

to those of other religions.2)When demands of one religious group are

formed in opposition to another.3)When state power is used to establish

domination of one religious group over the rest.What is Communal Politics?• It is based on the idea that religion is the principal basis of social community.

Communalism…

What Do Communalists Think?

1)Followers of one religion must belong to one community.

2)Their fundamental interests are same.3)People who follow different religions cannot

belong to the same social community.

Communalism…What forms can Communalism take in Politics?

1) It involves religious prejudices, stereotypes of religious communities and belief in the superiority of one`s religion over other religions.

2) Communal mind leads to a quest for Political dominance of one’s own religious communities.

3) If it is a Majority community – Majoritarian Dominance.4) If it is a Minority community – It forms a separate Political

Unit.5) Political mobilisation – using symbols, religious leader’s

emotional appeal and plain fear in order to bring the followers of one religion together in political arena.

6) Communal violence.

Secular State…

1) There is no official religion for India. Constitution does not offer special status to any religion.

2) Constitution provides to all freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion.

3) Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.

4) State will intervene in matters of religion to ensure equality within religious communities. It bans untouchability.

Caste & Politics…

• Hereditary occupational division sanctioned by rituals.

• Members of the same caste group formed similar occupation, married within the caste and did not eat with members from other caste groups.

Efforts Taken to Check Casteism…

1) Political leaders and social reformers like JOTHIBHA PHULE,GANDHIJI,AMBEDKAR and EVR PERIYAR have done a lot to check casteism.

2) Socio economic changes have brought in a check.3) Large scale urbanisation.4) Literacy and education.5) Occupational mobility.6) Weakening of the position of landlords.7) Constitution prohibited caste based discrimination.

Caste & Politics…

Why is there a disproportionately large presence of Upper Caste among Urban Middle Class ?• Groups that did not have access to education

were prohibited from acquiring it have lagged behind.

Caste can take various forms in Politics…

1) During the choice of candidates before an election , care is taken that the composition of electorate and nomination of candidates from different castes to muster support to win elections.

2) During formation of Governments, political parties take care that representatives of different castes and tribes find a place in it.

3) To make appeals to caste sentiment to muster support.

4) Universal adult franchise - one person one vote.

Elections are all about Caste & nothing else…

1) No parliamentary constituency has a clear majority of one single caste. Every candidate /party must win the confidence of more than one caste and community to win elections.

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

3) Many political parties may put up candidates from same caste.

4) Ruling party /sitting MP losing election could not have happened if all castes and communities were frozen in political preferences.

What forms does Caste take when it is Politicised?

1) Caste group becomes big by including neighbouring castes.

2) Party enters into a coalition with other castes.

3) Rise of backward caste and forward caste group.

Effects of Exclusive Attention to Caste…

• Is negative.• Politics based on caste identity alone is not

healthy.• Diverts attention from poverty ,development

and corruption.• Leads to tension, conflict and even violence.