Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Gender is a social difference that, when raised as a political issue, can lead to positive outcomes. Women have historically faced discrimination — unpaid domestic labour, unequal pay, low literacy, and exclusion from public life. These inequalities were rarely addressed until feminist movements made them a political issue.

When women organised and agitated for equal rights, it led to concrete gains: the right to vote, access to education and professional careers, and legal protections like the Equal Remuneration Act. In India, raising the issue politically resulted in one-third reservation for women in Panchayati Raj bodies, producing over 10 lakh elected women representatives.

Thus, expressing gender differences in politics gave disadvantaged groups the space to demand their share of power, strengthening democracy rather than threatening it.

Source: Democratic Politics II, Chapter 3 — Gender, Religion and Caste

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• The question asks you to link "political expression of social differences" → "positive outcome," using gender as the specific example.
• The key logical chain examiners look for: problem identified (discrimination) → political mobilisation (feminist movements, agitations) → concrete gains (voting rights, reservations, legal protections).
• The textbook explicitly states: "Gender division is an example that some form of social division needs to be expressed in politics… disadvantaged groups do benefit when social divisions become a political issue." Quote or paraphrase this idea to score full marks.
• Don't confuse this with communalism (negative example) — gender is the positive example the chapter highlights.