Gender division
Topic: Gender, Religion and Caste in Politics · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 3 "Gender, Religion and Caste"
Meaning
Gender division is a ranked (hierarchical) division between men and women. In it, men are placed above women in the home, at work and in public life. People often think this division is natural and cannot change. In fact it comes from what society expects of men and women, and from stereotypes (fixed ideas about a group). It does not come from biology. NCERT says gender is found in every society, and bringing it into politics has been mostly positive, because it has helped women claim equal rights.
Example
A family tells its daughter to stop studying and learn housework, while its son goes to college. Nothing in her body makes her unfit to study. The gap comes from the social belief that a girl's place is in the home.
Don't confuse with
- Sexual difference (biology): this is the physical difference between men and women. Gender division is the unequal set of roles that society builds on top of that difference.