Class 7 Civics Chapter 5 Question Answers - Women Change the World

Q1. What do you understand about stereotypes and how do it affect the girls?
Ans: When we believe that people belonging to particular groups are bound to have certain fixed characteristics or can only do a certain type of work, is called stereotypes. Many people believe in stereotypes and do not provide education to the girls as they do to the boys. Due to the stereotypical thinking, in most families, once girls finish school, family member are encouraged to see marriage as their main aim in life.

Q2. Write in brief struggle of Rashsundari Devi and her achievements.
Ans: Rashsundari Devi was a housewife from a rich landlord’s family. At that time, it was believed that if woman will learn to read and write, she would bring bad luck to her husband and become a widow. About 200 years ago, at the age of 60, she wrote her autobiography in Bangla. Her book titled Amar Jiban is the first known autobiography written by an Indian woman.

Q3. In the field of education mention Muslims and Adivasi status in India.
Ans: The 2001 census also found that Muslim girls are less likely, than Dalit and Adivasi girls, to complete primary school. There are several reasons why children from Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim communities leave school. Especially in rural and poor areas there may not even be proper schools or teachers who teach on a regular basis. Due to the transport unavailability, unable to bear the cost of educating all their children, boys may get preference in this situation.

Q4. Briefly describe the story of Laxmi Lakra.
Ans: Laxmi Lakra was girl and also poor but she got diploma in electronics and then passed the railway board exam in first attempt. Her parents were not literate but they struggled and overcame many hardships to make sure their children got an education.
She studied hard and did well and then went on to get a diploma in electronics. Finally, Laxmi Lakra who belonged from a poor tribal family of Jharkhand became first engine driver in Northern Railways.

Q5. What do you mean by Census?
Ans: Census is undertaken once in every 10 years. The first census was undertaken in 1971. In the Census, many datas are accumulated such as number of people, number of male and female, number of school going boys and girls, their socio-economic condition etc. These numbers are gathered as a whole and various heads are published as a result. These data are used in the planning of government policies

Q6. Why do children leave the school? Give reasons.
Ans: In India, children leave the school for various reasons. Some of them are:

• Many children leave school because they are discriminated by their teachers and classmates.
• Many places particularly in the rural areas availability of schools is not in the access of children.
• Many families are unable to teach all children due to the poverty.
• Some of them feel insecurity on the way to school particularly parents of girls etc.

Q7. What was the result found in the census of 2001 about literacy?
Ans: On the basis of data received from census, the literacy rate is determined. Census is undertaken once in 10 years. In the most recent census of 2001, these figures have grown to 76 percent for boys and men, and 54 percent for girls and women. It has been noticed that SC, ST and Adivasi backgrounds girls leave school at a rate that is higher than the category ‘All Girls’. However, this gap is reducing but has not gone away.

Q8. In what ways have women led their movement?
Ans: Women’s movement have been led by following ways:

• Campaigning: Campaigning is one of the important ways that led the movement. It was initiated to fight discrimination and violence against women. These campaigns have also led to new laws being passed. A law was passed in 2006 against domestic violence on the women.
• Raising Awareness: An important part of the women’s movements’ work is to raise public awareness on women’s rights issues. Their messages have been spread through street plays, songs and public meetings.
• Protesting: Public rallies and demonstrations Eire a very powerful ways of drawing attention to injustices.
• Showing solidarity: The women’s movement is also about showing solidarity with other women and causes.

Q9. What was the role played by Women’s Movement in various spheres for women?
Ans: There are other spheres such as – legal, violence and health, where the situation of women and girls has improved. These changes have not happened automatically. Women individually and collectively have struggled to bring about these changes. This struggle is known as the Women’s Movement. Many men support the women’s movement.
Different strategies have been used to spread awareness, fight discrimination and seek justice. Efforts made by the women’s movement led the Supreme Court to formulate guidelines in 1997 to protect women against sexual harassment at the workplace and within educational institutions.