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

India's major education commissions and policies have shaped the country's educational development and philosophy over time. Their chronological order is:

D. Radhakrishnan Commission (1948-49): Focused on university education and recommended higher education reforms post-independence.

C. Mudaliar Commission (1952-53): Examined the state of secondary education and emphasized vocational and value-based learning.

B. Kothari Commission (1964-66): Provided a comprehensive review of all levels of education, recommending a national system of education.

A. National Education Policy (1968): India's first education policy, based on the Kothari Commission's recommendations, promoting equal opportunity and quality education.

Thus, the correct order is D, C, B, A.

Let's arrange the key global milestones in the women's rights movement chronologically:

C. The Seneca Falls Convention - held in 1848 in New York, it was the first women's rights convention, marking the beginning of the organized women's suffrage movement.

A. National Organization for Women (NOW) - founded in the United States in 1966 to advocate for women's rights, equality, and empowerment.

D. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) - adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, often called the international bill of rights for women.

B. The Beijing Declaration and Beijing Platform for Action - adopted in 1995 during the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, serving as a major global policy framework for gender equality.

Chronological order of major debates in feminist theory:

B. Suffrage - late 19th to early 20th century, focused on women's right to vote and basic legal equality (First Wave Feminism).

C. Notion of Sisterhood - 1960s-70s, during Second Wave Feminism, emphasized solidarity among women but later critiqued for ignoring differences of race and class.

D. Difference and Sameness Debate - late 1970s-1980s, explored whether equality meant sameness with men or recognition of gender difference.

A. Intersectionality - 1989, introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, highlighting the interconnectedness of gender, race, class, and other identities in shaping oppression.

Chronological order of important feminist theoretical works:

C. Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" - published in 1975, foundational in feminist film theory and introduced the concept of the male gaze.

B. Teresa de Lauretis' "Technologies of Gender" - published in 1987, explored how gender identities are constructed through social and cultural discourses.

D. Kaja Silverman's "The Acoustic Mirror" - published in 1988, analyzed how cinema represents the female voice and subjectivity.

A. Barbara Creed's "The MonstrousFeminine" - published in 1993, applied psychoanalytic theory to horror films, analyzing depictions of female monstrosity.

Chronological order of Acts related to women and children's protection and welfare:

D. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act – 1971: Legalized abortion under specific conditions to protect women's health and autonomy.

B. Equal Remuneration Act - 1976: Ensured equal pay for men and women for the same work and prevented workplace discrimination.

C. Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act - 2005: Provided a comprehensive legal framework to protect women from physical, emotional, and economic abuse within households.

A. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act – 2012: Created strong legal measures for safeguarding children from sexual assault, harassment, and exploitation.

According to the Government of India's Handbook on Gender Budgeting, the state of Rajasthan took significant steps to institutionalize gender budgeting by enhancing the structure and assessment of its fiscal planning. The two major initiatives were:

B. Development of a four-category framework for the Gender Budget Statement: This structured framework allowed Rajasthan to classify, analyze, and track the extent of gender responsiveness in budgetary allocations.

D. Gender appraisal of budget proposals by seven key departments: This ensured that gender concerns were integrated early in the budgeting process, promoting more equitable policy outcomes.

Hence, the correct initiatives are B and D only.

Since the 1980s, the use of the plural form "Feminisms" has become common to reflect the diversity of feminist perspectives across cultures, politics, and social contexts.

Feminists share a core commitment to gender equality but differ in philosophy, focus, and strategies - encompassing liberal, radical, socialist, postcolonial, ecofeminist, queer, and Dalit feminisms, among others.

This pluralization acknowledges the richness and heterogeneity of feminist thought and its responsiveness to local realities.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) does not have executive or enforcement powers under India's digital or data protection laws. Instead, its role is primarily consultative and advocacy-based.

It works to promote women's rights in digital spaces, advises the government on policy reforms, and raises awareness about online safety, cyber harassment, and digital literacy for women.

Therefore, the NCW's role combines advisory and advocacy functions, not regulatory control or law enforcement.

The feminization of poverty refers to the growing proportion of women among the world's poor and is measured through indices that assess gender disparities and empowerment. The three international indices relevant to this concept are:

A. The Gender Development Index (GDI): Compares male and female achievements in health, education, and income.

C. The Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM): Focuses on political participation, economic involvement, and decisionmaking power.

D. The Human Poverty Index (HPI): Measures deprivation in basic human capabilities, often revealing gender gaps in poverty levels.

Together, these indices highlight how poverty disproportionately affects women.

In research, hypotheses play a critical role in guiding the scientific inquiry process. They:

C. Set the direction of research by defining what the researcher aims to test or explore.

B. Help in collecting useful facts by focusing data collection efforts.

D. Contribute to the formation of theories by providing a basis for empirical testing and validation.

Hence, hypotheses are essential for ensuring clarity, focus, and theoretical development in research.