Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Girls perform as well as, or better than, boys in school examinations, yet their enrolment drops at higher secondary and college levels. The textbook explains this with a clear reason: parents prefer to spend resources on their sons' education rather than spending equally on sons and daughters. This forces girls to drop out despite their ability.

This trend reveals that gender inequality in India is driven not by capability but by social expectations, patriarchal attitudes, and economic priorities rooted in the sexual division of labour. Society assigns women primarily to domestic roles, making families view girls' higher education as less worthwhile. Thus, the real factors are social stereotypes and unequal resource allocation within families, not academic performance.

Source: Chapter 3 (Gender and Politics), Section on women's disadvantages in India

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• The textbook directly states the reason for dropout: parental preference to invest in sons' education. Quote this explicitly — examiners expect it.
• The deeper point the question asks for is: inequality stems from social/patriarchal attitudes, not biology or merit. Make this connection clearly.
• Avoid padding with unrelated points (e.g., communalism, caste). Stay focused on gender inequality causes.
• For 3 marks: one factual point (dropout cause) + one analytical point (what it suggests about root causes) + brief conclusion = ideal structure.