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

B. Define the target population: This is the first and most crucial step where the researcher defines who the study is about-the group from which the sample will be drawn.

A. Identify the sampling frame: After defining the population, the next step is to identify a complete list or source (like a directory, register, or list) from which the sample can be selected.

C. Determine sample size and select sampling technique: Once the frame is set, the researcher chooses the sampling technique (e.g., random, stratified) and determines the number of participants (sample size) needed.

D. Collect data from sample: Finally, the researcher collects the data from the selected individuals within the sample to perform the analysis.

A. Brigitte Jordan - III: Authoritative knowledge: Jordan coined the concept of authoritative knowledge in childbirth and medical anthropology, referring to knowledge that dominates or overrides others in a given context.

B. Inderpal Grewal IV: Transnational feminism: Grewal has contributed extensively to the field of transnational feminism, analyzing how gender, nation, and globalization intersect in contemporary societies.

C. Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw - II: Intersectionality: Crenshaw introduced the term intersectionality in 1989 to explain how systems of oppression (race, gender, class) intersect and impact marginalized groups, especially Black women.

D. Françoise d'Eaubonne - I: Ecofeminism: She coined the term ecofeminism in the 1970s, linking the oppression of women and nature as consequences of patriarchal and capitalist systems.

• Feminist theories argue that domestic labour, traditionally performed by women, is a productive economic activity, although it is unpaid and unrecognized in GDP calculations.

• This labour includes cooking, cleaning, childcare, and eldercare, which sustains the workforce and family structure, forming the foundation of capitalist economies.

• Feminists like Silvia Federici, Mariarosa Dalla Costa, and Angela Davis critique how domestic labour is excluded from mainstream economic discourse but is essential for the reproduction of labour power.

• Movements like Wages for Housework emerged from this analysis, demanding recognition and compensation for unpaid domestic work.

A. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) at national level - II: 2.0 As per NFHS-5 (2019-21) data, India's national TFR is 2.0, which is below the replacement level of 2.1.

B. Replacement Level Fertility - II: 2.1 A TFR of 2.1 is considered the replacement level fertility, where a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next without growth.

C. Number of states above replacement level - IV: 5.0 This matches with the number of states/ UTs (like Bihar, Meghalaya, UP, Jharkhand, Manipur) that still have TFR above 2.1.

D. States above replacement level - I: Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur These states have higher-than-average fertility rates due to lower access to health and family planning services, early marriage, and lower female literacy.

A. Right to Maintenance - IV: Hindu Marriage Act, 1955: Under Section 24 and 25 of the Hindu Marriage Act, a woman has the right to claim maintenance and alimony during and after divorce.

B. Right to Equal Pay - II: Equal Remuneration Act, 1976: This Act ensures that men and women are paid equally for the same work or work of a similar nature, promoting gender parity in wages.

C. Right against Domestic Violence - III: Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005:  This progressive legislation provides protection for women from physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse in both domestic and live-in relationships.

D. Right to Self-Defence - I: Section 100 of IPC: Section 100 of the Indian Penal Code grants a person, including women, the right to cause death in self-defence, if under a threat of grievous harm or assault.

Feminist Standpoint Theory emphasizes that marginalized and oppressed groupsparticularly women, the working class, and racial minorities-possess a unique and critical perspective on power structures because they experience the consequences of these structures most directly.

Thinkers like Nancy Hartsock, Dorothy Smith, and Sandra Harding argue that knowledge is socially situated, and those who are oppressed have an epistemic advantage in understanding the real nature of systemic inequalities.

It challenges the idea of "neutral" or "objective" knowledge, asserting that lived experiences of the oppressed are essential for authentic insight into hierarchical systems like patriarchy and capitalism.

Ecofeminism links the oppression of women and nature as consequences of patriarchal domination, and it is rooted in the belief that:

A. Interconnectedness of all living beings is a foundational ecofeminist principle, emphasizing harmony between humans, animals, and ecosystems.

B. Recognition of feminine principles of nature refers to nurturing, cooperation, and sustainability, qualities often associated with feminine energy and devalued in patriarchal systems.

D. Critique of patriarchal domination over nature and women is central, as ecofeminism challenges the exploitative and hierarchical worldview that treats both nature and women as resources for control.

C. Emphasis on individualism and competition is antithetical to ecofeminism, which instead promotes community, care, and collective responsibility.

Heidi Hartmann, a socialist feminist, argued that patriarchy and capitalism are interlinked systems, but patriarchy predates capitalism and shapes how women are positioned within it.

She explained that capitalism benefits from patriarchy, as women provide unpaid domestic labor and are often relegated to lower-paid, subordinate positions in the labor market.

This dual system restricts women both in public economic participation and private domestic roles, perpetuating gender inequality even within modern economic structures.

Her theory challenges Marxism for ignoring gender and critiques radical feminism for not analyzing class dynamics adequately.

Chronological order of laws concerning women's rights and reform in India:

C. Bengali Sati Regulation Act - 1829: Passed by Governor-General Lord William Bentinck, this was the first major colonial legal reform to abolish the Sati practice.

A. Widow Remarriage Act - 1856: Initiated by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, this law legalized the remarriage of Hindu widows, challenging rigid Brahmanical patriarchy.

B. Age of Consent Act - 1891: Raised the age of consent for girls from 10 to 12 years, aiming to protect minor girls from sexual exploitation within marriage.

D. Child Marriage Restraint Act - 1929: Also known as the Sarda Act, it was the first secular social reform law in India to legally define minimum age of marriage-14 for girls and 18 for boys (later amended).

A. Ramabai Govind Ranade: She was a prominent social reformer and educationist, who worked towards the upliftment of Hindu widows and the spread of female education during the late 19th century.

D. Pandita Ramabai: B. A trailblazing scholar and social reformer, Pandita Ramabai established the Arya Mahila Samaj and Sharada Sadan for women's education and refuge. She was among the first Indian women to advocate widow remarriage and criticize caste and gender discrimination.

B. Karaikkal Ammaiyar and C. Akka Mahadevi were Bhakti saints and poets, significant in Indian spiritual and literary history, but their contributions were not part of the pre-independence reform movement in a socio-political sense. Their role is seen more in the context of religious and spiritual assertion, not organized reform.