Economic Aspects of Gender Chapter Notes | Civics Class 7 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

During World War I and II, Western countries faced a major labour shortage. To keep the economy running while the men were away at war, women stepped out of their traditional household roles and began working. Until then, men were seen as the primary earners, and women as homemakers. But this period marked a turning point as women started working in factories and earning wages, making them realize their own economic value.
Today, women around the world are employed in various fields for different reasons. Some aim for financial independence, others work out of necessity to support their families. Many seek to build their identity or wish to apply and expand their knowledge. The rising cost of living has also made it essential for women to work. Changes such as the rise of nuclear families, urbanization, consumer culture, and increased competition have further driven women to join the workforce. In India, women are employed in both the formal and informal sectors. The informal sector includes untaxed economic activities, while the formal sector includes those that are taxable.

Women in the Formal Sector 

•  Across India, an increasing number of women are taking active roles in their family businesses. 
•  Some have already made a significant impact, such as Nisa Godrej and Tanya Dubash of the Godrej Group. 
•  A new generation is also emerging, like 30-year-old Gursimran Mann, Executive Director of Simbhaoli Sugars, who is the first woman in four generations of her family to take a direct role in running the business. 
•  Parents who once prioritized professional education and international exposure only for their sons are now offering the same opportunities to their daughters. 
•  However, this shift is not universal. In many families, gender inequality still exists in various ways. 
•  There are several well-known business families where daughters are not given equal responsibility or leadership in managing businesses. 

• Women, both educated and uneducated, handle most household chores in rural and urban India.
• Housework is unpaid, time-consuming, and physically demanding but not counted in national income.
• It is often invisible, undervalued, and unrecognized as a full-time job.
• Even when women work outside, they are rarely seen as breadwinners and continue domestic tasks.
• Men typically do not share household responsibilities, adding to women's burden.
• Women face unequal treatment at home, including poorer food and living conditions.
• Balancing paid work and domestic chores makes women's lives challenging.
• Discrimination in job recruitment often favors men, reflecting societal biases.

Informal Sector

• Includes activities like agriculture, livestock rearing, fodder gathering, and factory work.
• Paid and unpaid household work is also part of the informal sector.
• Most rural women workers are farm laborers or cultivators, belonging to this sector.
• Provides employment to unskilled women, offering some choice and flexibility.
• However, it is unorganized, with fewer rights, lower pay, and no benefits like bonuses or insurance.
• Women often earn less than men for the same work and may not receive minimum wages.
• Informal sector earnings are not included in national income calculations.
• Between 1981 and 1991, rural women agricultural workers increased by 36.15% due to poverty and landlessness.

Formal Sector

• Formal Sector Banks, schools, MNCs, offices, hospitals, etc. are considered a part of the formal sector.
• This sector is organized and the workers have fixed salaries and insurance, and face less discrimination.
• However in India’s organized sector, women are woefully under-represented.
• Most jobs are gender specific and certain positions are offered only to men.
• Women have to work harder to prove their capabilities and gain acceptance.
• In the organized sector, women enjoy benefits like medical insurance, sick leaves, maternity leaves and the leaves scheduled in the calendar.
• In certain cases, women can even work from home.
• The Indian Constitution prohibits any discrimination on the basis of sex.
• In 1976, the Equal Remuneration Act was passed to ensure that equal pay was given to men and women for equal or similar work.
• Promotions, transfers, etc. are also not to be gender biased.
• It is the duty of the government to ensure that there is equality for women in the professional world.

Invisibilization of Women's Labour

•  Women are largely engaged in informal and unrecognized work, such as domestic duties and helping in small family-run businesses. These roles often come with unstable job conditions and offer little to no pay or job security. 
•  In the informal sector, women have limited power to organize or demand the enforcement of labour rights and protections. 
•  Because a large portion of women's work is unpaid, its economic contribution goes unnoticed. This invisibility leads many women to view marriage as their main option in life. 
•  In many ways, marriage functions like a labour contract where men benefit from women's unpaid labour and assume financial control over them. Without income from external work, women remain financially dependent on their husbands or families. 
•  The journey toward gender equality has made progress in a male-dominated society where men traditionally hold more power. 
•  Education is a key tool in continuing the fight against gender stereotypes. Yet challenges remain—especially in reducing the school dropout rates among Dalit, Adivasi, and minority girls. 
•  In financially strained households, families often choose to educate sons over daughters. As a result, girls are expected to care for siblings, take over their mother’s work, or are married off early. 

Call for Awareness

• Even today, women are plagued by social evils like early marriage, dowry deaths, rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence.
• We know that girls do not always receive the best nutrition or healthcare.
• Women themselves are often responsible for many of these terrible attacks on other women.
• In our country, the high female foeticide and infanticide rates have resulted in a disturbed sex ratio.
• There is a need to create awareness among people about gender equality.
• Many NGOs have been created to advance the womens movement for equality.
• The focus today is on issues of public awareness of women’s rights.
• This is done through various mediums like street plays, songs, public meetings, posters, advertisements, and campaigns.
• Women are able to show solidarity with other women and women-related causes through protests, candle-lit marches, writing articles in local and national newspapers, etc.