I. Are the statements given alongside True or False ? Support your answer with the use of an example.
1. All societies do not think similarly about the roles that boys and girls play.
Ans: (True) .
The society in which we live gives more importance to the work done by boys instead of the work done by girls.
2. Our society does not make distinctions between girls and boys when they are growing up.
Ans: (False) .
Our society does make distinctions between boys and girls even when they are in the growing stage. Boys are taught to be tough and strong even when they are small. While girls are taught to be soft and mild. Boys are given cars and guns to play and girls are given dolls.
3. Woman who stay at home do not work.
Ans: (False) .
Women do a lot of work at home. They do the cooking , washing and cleaning the house and looking after their family. Since this jobs are not payable , it is not considered work at all. There is no value for the work done by a woman at home.
4. The work that women do is less valued than that of men.
Ans: (True) .
Women do a lot of work. The main responsibility of the house and looking after the family lies with the women. This work is not recognized and not valued. It is taken as a natural thing and so why should they be paid. This is the reason why our society devalues women’s work.
II. Housework is invisible and unpaid work. Housework is physically demanding. Housework is time consuming.
Write in your own words what is meant by the term ‘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 that is not seen with our eyes. Looking after the children, the elderly and the sick members is the job of the women in the house. These are not termed as works and are not recognized, therefore they remain invisible. Physically demanding means tough and difficult work.
-Work like washing clothes of the entire family,carrying drinking water, carrying wood for cooking food are very tough jobs for the woman. Still they do all these works without any complaints.
-Time consuming household works that take much time. They get up early in the morning and continue till late night. In between their heavy work , they take time to sit with their children and help them in their homework. This is a good example of time consuming work.
III. Make a list of boys and games that boys typically play and another for girls.
1) 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: The boys play with cars, guns, swords , buses, trains , cricket sets, and games like football, hockey . The girls play with dolls, cooking items, games like badminton, table tennis , hide and seek These games are also played by the boys. From the above games we can make out the difference in games that boys and girls play.
-The society makes clear distinctions between boys and girls. Boys are taught to be tough while the girls should have feminine virtues. All these are ways of telling children that they have specific roles to play when they grow up as adults. Later if affects the subjects and the career they choose.
2) 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: Mary has been working in my house for five years . She is from Goa. She lives here with her husband her mother –in-law and her teenage son. Her working hours are from 9 am to 5 pm Her work is spic and span. She is clean in all her habits. We pay her Rs/- 5000, per month. Her other needs like clothes, food and medicines are taken care of by us. She takes leave every Sunday. Her husband works as a casual labourer in building sites.