“Though women in post-Independent India have excelled in various fields, the social attitude towards women and feminist movement has been patriarchal.” Apart from women education and women empowerment schemes, what interventions can help change this milieu?
Approach · directive: “what”
What it asks · Suggest concrete non-scheme interventions (legal, institutional, cultural, economic and political) that can shift entrenched patriarchal attitudes, keeping education and empowerment schemes aside.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Explain the patriarchal milieu that persists despite women's achievements
- Suggest interventions beyond education and empowerment schemes: legal, institutional, political, economic and cultural
Open with · Legal equality and women's achievements coexist with son preference, unpaid care work and violence; attitudes change slowly and need deliberate, multi-level effort.
Cover
- Context: NFHS-5 (2019-21) estimated the population sex ratio at 1,020 females per 1,000 males, yet son preference, unpaid care work and violence persist.
- Law and enforcement: firm implementation of the Domestic Violence Act (2005), POSH Act (2013) and dowry and sex-selection laws, with faster courts and sensitised police.
- Engaging men and boys: gender-sensitisation in families, schools and workplaces, positive masculinity campaigns, and shared care work including paternity leave.
- Media and culture: responsible portrayal of women in films, advertising and social media, community theatre, and visible role models to counter stereotypes.
- Political voice: effective one-third reservation in legislatures (106th Amendment, 2023) and genuine women's leadership in panchayats, beyond 'sarpanch-pati' proxies.
- Economic independence: childcare and elder-care services, maternity benefits, joint property and land titles, and safe workplaces reduce unpaid care burdens and dependence.
- Community action: local champions, women's collectives and dialogue with panchayats and faith leaders against child marriage and 'honour' norms.
- Institutions and data: gender budgeting, time-use surveys, gender audits of schools and workplaces, and tracking attitudes through NFHS-type data.
Close with · Attitudes change when law, incentives, role models and everyday practice align; the task is to shift norms in homes, workplaces and public life, not only to provide schemes.
Add value (verified)
- NFHS-5 (2019-21) estimated the population sex ratio at 1,020 females per 1,000 males, the first time a national survey found more women than men. Sex ratio - Ministry of Women and Child Development, Rajya Sabha reply via PIB (17 December 2021) ↗“As per the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-21), the sex ratio of the population (females per 1000 males) for the country was estimated as 1020.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2021, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 247 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Women in independent India lead in science, sport, business and politics, and NFHS-5 (2019-21) even found more women than men (sex ratio 1,020); yet son preference, unpaid care work, violence and the 'sarpanch-pati' show that attitudes lag behind numbers and laws.
Legal and institutional levers
- Enforcement over enactment: firm implementation of the Domestic Violence Act (2005), the POSH Act (2013) and dowry and sex-selection laws, with fast-track courts, sensitised police and women's help desks.
- Gender budgeting, gender audits of schools and workplaces, time-use surveys and NFHS-type attitude data, so that change in norms, not just outputs, is tracked.
Political voice
- Effective one-third reservation in legislatures (106th Amendment, 2023) and real leadership in panchayats, with training for elected women and rules against proxy attendance by husbands.
Economic independence
- Public childcare and elder-care services, maternity benefits, joint land and property titles, and safe transport and workplaces reduce the unpaid-care burden and financial dependence that sustain patriarchy.
Engaging men and boys
- Gender-sensitisation in families, schools, sports and workplaces; paternity leave and shared housework; positive-masculinity campaigns that make caring and non-violence the norm.
Culture and community
- Responsible portrayal of women in films, advertising and social media; visible role models; community theatre; dialogue with panchayats and faith leaders against child marriage and 'honour' norms; women's collectives as local champions.
Attitudes shift when law, incentives, role models and everyday practice pull the same way; the task is to change norms in homes, workplaces and public life, not only to run schemes for women.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify). UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.