In recent years, Indian women have defied societal expectations by excelling in areas that were traditionally ______________.reserved for menlimited to homemakingoverlooked by womenstigmatized as unsuitable for females

Mahatma Gandhi once famously said, "The future of India lies in its villages. These villages, rich in Indian culture, have played a central role in shaping the nation However, there have also been places where gender-based discrimination and violence continuesIn rural India, young girls are often raised in an environment that teaches them to see themselves as lesser compared to boys. This inequality is built in from a very young age, affecting their sense of self-worth. Constantly under the walchiful eye of their families, many girls grow up with a lack of awareness about their fundamental human rights. They are burdened with societal expectations that dictate their future-learning household activities, caring for the family, bearing children often sidelining their dreams and aspirationsIf a girl in rural india dares to dream of running for a Panchayat election or aspires to be a political leader, she is often met with dismissive comments Mke, "Politics is a man's world, it's not for women." This deeply rooted gender bias is one of the primary reasons why rural women find it challenging to enter the field of politics. The prevailing belief that politics is only for men results in the under-representation of women in leadership rolesWomen are frequently told to priontise their traditional roles, such as homemaking and raising children, leaving them with little time or encouragement to pursue a political career or even dream of other aspirationsOne of the significant barriers that prevent women from participating in politics is the lack of education. Although the Indian Constitution guarantees free basic education for both boys and girls up to the age of 14, not all children in rural India receive this essential primary education.Social biases, a male-dominated political party structure, family responsibilities, limited resources, and deeply established sexist and anti-women attitudes collectivelychallenge women from running for and succeeding in state or parliamentary elections. Many are reminded repeatedly of their primary duty to care for their families andchildren. A study highlights that family support is crucial for rural women to pursue a political career, as many rely on their families for financial assistance. Running foroffice in a parliamentary election can be financially difficult.Women's roles in politics are often overshadowed by patriarchy. In many cases, only the older men within the family make decisions, which are followed without question by all family members when a woman is elected as the Pradhan (village head). This passive role often makes women disinterested in politicsIn the Amazon web series "Panchayat," a woman Pradhan's partner is shown taking on all the responsibilities of the position on her behalf, illustrating the existing gender dynamics in rural politicsTo address these challenges and empower rural women, India took a significant step in 1994 with the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, reserving seats for women in Panchayats and Municipalities. These reservations aim to ensure that women's voices are heard, their needs are addressed, and their participation in local decision-making is encouragedPresently, at least 20 states in India, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal, have amended their state Panchayati Raj laws to provide for 50 per cent reservation for women. This important step has been taken to level the playing field and empower rural women in shaping the destiny of their communities11:34 amAnswer the following question in 100-150 words:Q.The Constitution has laws like reservation of seats for women in panchayats and municipalities. Does it help women's participation in politics? State your reasons using examples from the article. Using your understanding of interdisciplinary studies, suggest any 2 measures that the government can undertake to ensure that women in rural areas are active members of local panchayats and municipalities.

Describe the different ways through which women face discrimination and oppression in India. 5

What are some stereotypes associated with women in Indian cinema, that you have noticed?

Women in India are discriminated inOptionseconomical lifesocial lifeall of the abovepolitical life

''There are some previous studies that have analysed the decline in thefemale labour force participation in India. (Garces-Ozanne and Singh,2017) posit in their study that the Mechanisation of agriculture andSecurity risks have the most impact on this decline. They came to theconclusion that the Mechanisation have a negative impact becausemales workers are preferred over female workers when it comes tomachinery work. On the supply side, Security risks limit women’s freemovement and discourage them to go to work. Policy makers shouldincentive women in rural areas by educating them and providing furthersafety facilities. Also Goldin (1994) affirms that the movement from hometo workplace engage different types of gender inequality issues in society and in home. Explaining the existence of U-shaped function betweeneconomic development and female labour participation, she suggeststhat it is mainly caused by the relationship between female education andeconomic development. At initial stages of development, education levelof males increases more than females; Income will rise but the womenproductivity will not for some time, which can be associated with thereduction of women’s labour participation level. At advanced stages ofeconomic development, female education increases at secondary schoollevels and contributes to an increase in their participation in the labourforce. This is one explanation of the U-shaped function. The decliningportion of the U may trace out because of the income effect, while therising portion suggests that the income effect is covered by thesubstitution effect. The Education factor and its correlation with FLFP willbe further discussed in this paper.Another study (Kapsos, Silberman and Bourmpoula, 2014) explains thedecline using factors like education, household income and consumption.Their results affirms that the general increase of the education in theshort run have a negative impact on the FLFP. There is a similar effectfor an increase in the household income, due to the fast economicdevelopment. The household income effect is explained considering thatas the householders become wealthier, women become economicallyinactive focusing more on household duties and child care.'' finde research gap from this above literature review