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Q1 Are the statements given below true or false? Support your answer with the use of an example :
(a) All societies do not think similarly about the roles that boys and girls play.
(b) Our society does not make distinctions between boys and girls when they are growing up.
(c) Women who stay at home do not work.
(d) The work that women do is less valued than that of men.Ans: (a) It is a true statement. In most societies, the work done by boys is given more importance than the work done by girls.
(b) It is a false statement. Our society differentiates between boys and girls from their growing phase. From the childhood, boys are taught to be rough and tough, while girls are taught to be soft and calm. Boys play with toys like cars, guns while girls are given dolls.
(c) It is a false statement. Women who stay at home, has responsibility of household chores. They work for their families like cook food, wash clothes, sweep floor, and many other works.
(d) It is true statement. Women do a lot of work. The responsibility of household work and care-giving works lies with women. Yet, the work done by them is not recognised as work. It is assumed that all this comes naturally to women and does not have to be paid. Thats why women’s work is not valued.
Q2 Housework is invisible and unpaid work. Housework is physically demanding.
Housework is time-consuming. Write in your own words what is meant by the terms ‘invisible’, ‘physically demanding’ and ‘time-consuming’? Give one example of
each based on the household tasks undertaken by women in your home.Ans: ‘Invisible’ means the work which can not be seen from eyes, for example, the amount of time and labour required in preparing food. ‘Physically demanding’ means the hard work or manual labour done to complete a task. It is tiring and the hard work effects on one’s health, like fetching water or firewood in rural areas. ‘Time-consuming’ means the considerable time is required to complete a task. Taking care of the house and keeping a eye on the activities of domestic help. Washing of clothes also requires physical strength. Cooking food and house cleaning is also time-consuming.
Q3 Make a list of toys and games that boys typically play and another for girls. If there is a difference between the two lists, can you think of some reasons why this is so? Does this have any relationship to the roles children have to play as adults?
Ans: List is as follows:
For Boys: Toys - cars, guns, swords, buses, railway trains, lions, etc. Games - cricket, kabaddi, hockey, football etc.
For Girls: Toys - dolls, cooking items, etc.
Games - badminton, table-tennis, hide and seek, etc.
These games can also be played by the boys. Above details shows difference between the toys of girls and boys. The main reason of all this is that our society differentiates between boys and girls. Boys are asked to be rough and tough while girls are asked to be soft and calm. Boys highlights their manly features whereas girls are asked to stay in limits . All these are ways of stating roles to play when they grow up as men and women. Later in life this affects their career choices too.Q4 If you have someone working as a domestic help in your house or locality talk to her and find out a little bit more about her life – Who are her family members? Where is her home? How many hours does she work? How much does she get paid? Write a small story based on these details.
Ans: Yes, A Domestic Help
Sugna is a domestic help. She works in our house.
She has two sons, one daughter and her husband in her family.
She lives on rent in Kota, Rajasthan.
She works for almost 8-9 hours daily.
She is paid ₹ 2000 per month.