UGC NET/JRF EXAM, January-2025 WOMEN’S STUDIES

Total Questions: 100

1. Match the List-I with List-II.

List-I (Cyber criminal name) List-II (Types of crimes) 
A. Cyber stalkingI. Publishing personal information online to enable harassment
B. CatfishingII. Aggressive targeted hate speech involving sexism, misogy
C. DoxxingIII. Pretending to some one else to manipulate or exploit emotionally or financially
D. TrollingIV. Persist tracking and monitoring woman's online activities to instill fear or exert control
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Codes:A.B.C.D.
1.IIIIIIIV
2.IVIIIIII
3.IIIIVIII
4.IVIIIIII
Correct Answer: 2.
Solution:

A. Cyber stalking - IV: It refers to persistent tracking and monitoring of a woman's online activities to instill fear or exert control. It includes repeated, unwanted attention through emails, social media, or other digital means, and often leads to psychological trauma.

B. Catfishing - III: It involves pretending to be someone else (often using fake profiles or identities online) to manipulate or exploit someone emotionally or financially. It is a form of online deception that can lead to financial fraud or emotional abuse.

C. Doxxing - I: Doxxing is the act of publishing private or identifying information (such as address, phone number, etc.) online without consent, to enable harassment. It compromises privacy and can lead to realworld threats. Trolling - II:

D. Trolling in cybercrime often includes aggressive and targeted hate speech, especially involving sexism and misogyny. Trolls provoke and harass individuals or groups, often under anonymity, to incite emotional responses.

2. "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction".

Correct Answer: 1. Virginia Woolf
Solution:

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" is a famous quote from Virginia Woolf's extended essay A Room of One's Own (1929).

이 • She argued that women need financial independence and personal space (literal and figurative) to express themselves creatively.

This statement critiques the patriarchal limitations on women's access to education, property, and freedom, which historically hindered their contributions to literature.

3. Feminist Ethnography differs from traditional ethnography by:

Correct Answer: 3. Challenging power hierarchies between researchers and participants
Solution:

Feminist ethnography distinguishes itself from traditional ethnography by emphasizing reflexivity, collaboration, and equality between the researcher and participants.

It challenges the traditional top-down approach, giving voice to marginalized groups, especially women.

Feminist ethnographers often include personal narratives and lived experiences to highlight intersectionality and subjective experiences.

It opposes the "objective observer" stance and believes the researcher's identity impacts the research process.

4. Which of the following indicators are used in Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI)?

A. Education
B. Healthcare
C. Housing
D. Economic participation

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 3. A, B, D Only
Solution:

The Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), published by the World Economic Forum, uses four key indicators:

A. Education: Measures gender gaps in literacy and access to primary, secondary, and tertiary education.

B. Healthcare (also referred to as Health and Survival): Examines life expectancy and sex ratio at birth. D. Economic Participation: Considers labour force participation, wage equality, and leadership roles.

C. Housing is not a part of the GGGI indicators. Factual note: GGGI scores range from 0 (imparity) to 1 (parity), and in 2023, Iceland topped the ranking with over 90% gender parity.

5. Match the List-I with List-II.

List-I (Thinkers) List-II (Motherhood concept) 
A. Nancy ChodorowI. The mother child relationships is the essential relationship
B. Adrienne RichII. Despite all conflicts and contradictions women have succeeded at Mothering
C. Ann OakleyIII. Motherhood is profoundly satisfying for many women
D. Veena PoonachaIV. Motherhood is a handicap but also a strength
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Codes:A.B.C.D.
1.IIIIIIIV
2.IIIVIIII
3.IIIIVIII
4.IVIIIIII
Correct Answer: 2.
Solution:

A. Nancy Chodorow - II: Chodorow emphasized that despite social contradictions and psychological conflicts, women continue to successfully perform the role of mothering. She explored how mothering is reproduced socially and psychologically in her psychoanalytic feminist work.

B. Adrienne Rich - I: In Of Woman Born, she states that the mother-child relationship is central to women's experience and identity, and she critiques how patriarchy has historically shaped and distorted this relationship.

C. Ann Oakley - IV: Oakley highlighted the duality of motherhood - as both a strength and a handicap. She critically analyzed the medicalization of motherhood and gender roles in domestic life, showing how societal expectations hinder women's autónomy.

D. Veena Poonacha - III: Poonacha explored how, despite constraints, motherhood can be profoundly satisfying and empowering for many women. Her work integrates Indian socio-cultural contexts and feminist perspectives.

6. Order the progress and action taken to address the falling count of girls in India.

A. Prenatal Diagnostic Technology Act
B. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Programme was launched in Haryana
C. Pre-conception and prenatal Diagnostic Act
D. A systematic decadal drop of child sex ratio in favour of boys was observed in the census data

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 3. D, А, C, B
Solution:

D. A systematic decadal drop of child sex ratio in favour of boys was observed in the census data: The Census of India started showing a continuous decline in the child sex ratio (CSR), particularly from the 1991 Census onwards. The CSR dropped from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001 and 919 in 2011, indicating strong gender-based birth discrimination.

A. Prenatal Diagnostic Technology Act: To curb the misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques (like ultrasound) for sex determination, the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act was enacted in 1994.

C. Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act: In 2003, the 1994 Act was amended and renamed as the PCPNDT Act to regulate pre-conception diagnostic techniques as well and to make the law more stringent in preventing sex-selective abortions.

B. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Programme launched in Haryana: The BBBP scheme was launched in 2015 in Panipat, Haryana, focusing on improving the declining CSR, changing social mindsets, and ensuring education for girls.

7. Which of the following states is showing a worrying recent trend of reducing sex ratio of birth in rural areas as compared to urban areas in 2017-18 as per SRS data?

Correct Answer: 3. Bihar
Solution:

As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2017-18, Bihar showed a concerning trend where the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in rural areas was lower than in urban areas, indicating worsening gender imbalance even in traditionally more egalitarian rural settings.

In many states, urban areas show lower SRB due to easy access to medical technologies for sex selection.

However, in Bihar, the reverse trend reflects deep-rooted patriarchal values penetrating rural health behaviours.

This reversal is alarming because rural areas were expected to retain relatively natural SRBS.

8. Match the List-I with List-II.

List-I (Rights) List-II (Provisions) 
A. Right against DowryI. Free legal support under legal services authorities Act
B. Right to Free Legal AidII. Criminalizes Harassment Section 354A of IPC
C. Right to Dignity and DecencyIII. Prohibits dowry demands and harassment
D. Rights at WorkplaceIV. Guarantees safe and conducive work environment
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Codes:A.B.C.D.
1.IIIIIIIV
2.IIIVIIII
3.IIIIIIIV
4.IVIIIIII
Correct Answer: 3.
Solution:

A. Right against Dowry - III: Protected under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, which prohibits dowry demands and considers them a punishable offense. It ensures legal protection against dowry-related harassment and violence.

B. Right to Free Legal Aid - I: Provided under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, offering free legal services to the weaker sections, including women, to ensure access to justice.

C. Right to Dignity and Decency - II: Under Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code, any act of harassment or indecent behavior towards women is criminalized, supporting the right to dignity and decency.

D. Rights at Workplace - IV: The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 ensures a safe and conducive working environment for women.

9. Arrange the following changes in global paradigms on women and development in a chronological sequence.

A. Women and Development (WAD) Empowerment Approach
B. Welfare Approach
C. Gender and Development (GAD) Equality Approach
D. Women in Development (WID) Equality Approach

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 1. B, D, A, C
Solution:

Welfare Approach: The earliest model, dominant till the 1970s, viewed women primarily as passive recipients of welfare, focusing on food, health, and family planning.

D. Women in Development (WID) - Equality Approach: Emerged in the 1970s, emphasizing integrating women into existing development programs. However, it failed to challenge the structural causes of inequality.

A. Women and Development (WAD) Empowerment Approach: - Introduced in the late 1970s and 1980s, WAD critiqued capitalism and patriarchy and promoted collective action and women's empowerment.

C. Gender and Development (GAD) - Equality Approach: GAD arose in the 1980s, focusing on gender relations, not just women. It aimed to transform power dynamics and achieve equality by challenging societal structures.

10. Which of the following answers are correct regarding indicators of women's empowerment in India as per public Information Bureau 2023?

A. The share of women pilots is 15%, which is higher than the global average of 5%
B. 43% of women in India are enrolled in (STEM) Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, which is the highest in the world
C. In India, 46% of elected representatives in local governments (Panchayati Raj) were women
D. On an average, men in India are earning only 60% of the wage that women earn

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 3. A, B and C Only
Solution:

A. 15% share of women pilots in India: According to the Public Information Bureau (PIB) 2023, India has the highest proportion of female pilots globally - around 15%, compared to the global average of 5%, showing progress in a highly male-dominated field.

B. 43% women enrolled in STEM in India: India has the highest percentage of female STEM enrollment globally. As per AISHE (All India Survey on Higher Education) data, women constitute 43% of total STEМ graduates in India.

C. 46% elected representatives in Panchayati Raj are women: Due to 33% to 50% reservation in local governance, women occupy about 46% of seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions, a key indicator of political empowerment at the grassroots level.

D. Men earning only 60% of women's wage - INCORRECT: In India, women earn about 60-70% of what men earn, not the reverse. The gender pay gap remains a concern in both formal and informal sectors.