The document discusses gender roles in various aspects of Indian society such as family, culture, popular culture, class, caste, religion, law and the state, and media. It notes that gender roles are defined by socio-cultural norms and family systems are based on these roles. In modern society, it is seen that both men and women have equal rights and responsibilities. Gender roles differ based on social class and are also impacted by caste hierarchy in India. Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Jainism approach gender roles differently. The constitution provides for equality but gender discrimination still persists in law and media often portrays gender stereotypes.

1. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

2. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

3. Family
•Gender roles are defined by the socio-
cultural norms of any society.
•In most of the societies the family
systems are based on the gender roles.
•Types of activities, including preference
of toys, play styles, discipline, chores, and
personal achievements.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

4. Today……The modern social
structure
 Both men and women as equal partners of
the society with equal rights, status and
responsibility.
 Both the parents work and earn.
 Both father and mother enjoys equal social
statues and financial independence.
 Both the parents-homemaker (the role of
homemaker becomes no one's responsibility
and both the partners may insist the other
one to be the homemaker).
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

5. Gender Roles in Culture
• Culturally determined gender ideologies define
rights and responsibilities and what is
‘appropriate’ behaviour for women and men.
• Expectations about attributes and behaviours
appropriate to women or men and about the
relations between women and men – in other
words, gender – are shaped by culture.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

6. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

7. Gender Roles in Popular Culture
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

8. Popular culture
• The term was coined in the 19th century or
earlier.
• The abbreviated form ‘pop” for popular, as in
pop music , dates from the late 1950’s.
• The term pop and popular are in some cases used
interchangeably.
• Pop is specific of something containing qualities
of mass appeal , while “popular” refers to what
has gained popularity regardless of its style.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

9. Examples
• Television
• Movies
• Social Media,
• concerts,
• sporting events and so
on.
• For example:
Generally, super
heroes are men.
Women always
expect to rescue.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

10. Gender Roles in Class
• Lower
• Middle
• Upper
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

11. Social class
• Social classes are defined as groups forming a
social hierarchy.
• We often assume three general categories among
social classes
• Lower class
• Middle class
• Upper class
• People from different social classes tend to have
different desires and consumption patterns.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

12. Class
• The role of a “ Man as a provider and of a
Woman as a Homemaker”
• Man as a breadwinner and of a woman as
a homemaker
Persons occupying
the same relative
economic rank form a
social class

13. Gender Roles in Class….(Indian
Society)
• Lower Class:
• Both the Men and women are Homemakers and
Financial Provider
• Middle Class:
• Mostly Men are Financial Provider
• Some times Men are Homemakers
• Mostly Women are Homemakers
• Some times Women are Financial Provider
• Upper Class:
• Men are Financial Provider
• Women are Homemakers
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

19. Gender Roles in Caste
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

20. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

21. Gender roles in caste system…
• Upper caste –women-live-familial parameters-
not permitted to go out for work.
• women of upper caste face gender
discrimination at every step of their life and it is
their men who control their destiny.
• Women of the lower caste are the most
disadvantaged lot. They are victim of both
gender discrimination and caste inequality.
• Ex: Movie: Asuran, Karnan(2021), Pariyerum
Perumal and Paradesi
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

22. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34
Extra-Avoid

23. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

24. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34
Caste is one of the basic institutions of Hindu society.
The significance of gender in understanding the caste system and the
way caste invades on women’s life cannot be ignored.
Indian society is strongly patriarchal. Women’s compliance to structure
of caste and class is not merely passive but can extend to incitement
of their menfolk to hold on to unchallenged social power that they have
wielded into contemporary times. Women in India are treated as
inferior and lowly by their male counterparts. Women are treated as
subordinates and their sexuality is controlled by men. In India caste
system is an important institution. This feature makes the Indian
society highly stratified and hierarchical. Caste and gender are highly
correlated. Though women of upper caste face gender discrimination
at every step of their life and it is their men who control their destiny.
Yet women of upper caste are entitled to certain privileges. It is
important to note that these privileges are granted to them only when
they conform to the patriarchal order of society. Women of the lower
caste are the most disadvantaged lot. They are victim of both gender
discrimination and caste inequality
Gender roles in caste system

25. Gender role in Religion
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

26. Major Indian Religious Groups
Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism
Christianity
Islam
Sikhism
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

27. Gender Roles in Society:
Hinduism
Women's roles in society were minimal in
Hinduism's society.
Women were seen as dependent minors who
needed to be controlled by men in order to
succeed under the influence of Hinduism.
Hinduism had caused women's rights to
decline tremendously during the Vedic period
(1600-1800 BC).
Prior to marriage the female is regulated by her
father and then when she is married she is
controlled by her husband.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

28. Due to being married at such young
ages, they were not able to finish their
educations, therefore not qualifying them to
perform many ritual sacrifices.
Hindu practices showed the negative
characteristics of women. They had stated that
women would be promiscuous (immoral)
unless controlled by men.
Hinduism…
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

29.  It is the female’s role as a wife to bear her
husband’s children and educate them in their
traditional practices. And male’s role as to rule
them, provided home and bread.
This alone shows the difference of men's roles
verse women's roles in Hindu society.
As these rituals became more complicated,
women were not allowed to own property in
society. Women had married at very young
ages which did not allow for them to finish their
education under the practice of Hinduism.
Hinduism…
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

30. Gender Roles in Society:
Buddhism
Buddhism differed greatly from Hinduism
due to the fact that anyone could achieve
enlightenment or Nirvana, not just the upper
classes or men.
Buddhism had challenged the inequalities of the
Hindu-based caste system.
It had argued that caste position nor gender
should be a barrier to enlightenment.
Women had joined Buddhism to find freedom
and independence in society which had
been unavailable in Indian society before
Buddhism.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

31. Women's roles in society became
relatively different and better because of
Buddhism.
Women's social status had improved greatly
under Buddhism due to this.
Women and men were equal in theory which
caused for more rights for women.
women were allowed more freedoms and were
seen as independent in the Buddhist society.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

32. Women were allowed to become
nuns and be religiously and societal
active.
Overall, Buddhism had allowed for
women to be seen as independent and
had improved women's rights in
society.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

33. Gender Roles in Society:
Christianity
Christianity, women were considered equal in
their ability to achieve salvation comparing to
India where women could not achieve Moksha.
Also, in this religion women were allowed to
remove themselves from traditional roles and
become nuns living in convents away from
society.
Within the various Christian traditions both
men and women can be recalled as saints.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

34. Gender Roles and Islam
 The Qur'an views women and men to be
equal in human dignity, this spiritual or ethical
equality has not been reflected in most
Muslim laws. For example:
Women do not have equal rights to make
independent decisions about choice of
(marriage) partner, getting a divorce and
custody of their children.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

35. Roles of Women in Sikhism
Salvation
• It is clear that the light of God rests equally
within both sexes. Both men and women can
therefore attain salvation by obeying the
Guru.
Education
• Education is considered very important in
Sikhism. It is the key to anyone’s success.
Education for all is essential and everyone
must aim to be the best they can be.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

36. Hereditary Rights
• Hereditary rights have never been an issue in
Sikhism. Sikh women have full rights to
contest any hereditary claim.
Gender Equality
• Sikhism does consider men and women to be
different by virtue of their gender. However
this does not imply superiority of one sex over
the other.
• Men and women are equal under the eyes of
God and should therefore be given equal
opportunity. No position in Sikhism is reserved
solely for men. Sikh women can also take part
in any political role they feel fit to
accommodate.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

37. Roles of Women in Jainism
Jainism is in many ways dedicated to equality,
for some Jains a women’s femaleness creates
spiritual inequality.
The Sectarian divide- The Digambara Jain sect
believes that women cannot achieve liberation
without being reborn as men first.
Nakedness- Digambara Jains hold this view
because they believe that nakedness is an
essential element of the road to liberation. Since
women are not allowed to be naked in public
they cannot achieve liberation directly, and so
are seen as second- class citizens.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

38. Ahimsa and women- Diagambara also
believe that women are inherently himsic
(which is translated as harmful). This
comes partly from a belief that menstrual
blood kills micro- organisms living in the
female body. The killing of the micro-
organisms is said to show that a female
body is less non-violent than a male body.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

39. Impurity- Some Jain texts says that
menstrual blood is a sign of impurity.
Attachment- Another argument is that
because a women’s nature is to care for
children and other dependants, she will find
it much more difficult to break free from
these earthly attachments, and unless she
does this, she cannot achieve liberation.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

40. Importance of the Woman’s View
• There is no suggestion of inferiority amongst
the role women can play and neither is a
woman’s intelligence doubted.
Opportunity to Pray
• Any woman is permitted to enter a Gurdwara
(Sikh Temple) and is accepted in all prayers
and recitations of the Guru Granth Sahib. No
area is made exempt and women are always an
integral part of the congregation.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

41. Gender roles in Law and State
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

42. Law and the state
• Law and justice play a key role in the distribution of
rights and resources among women and men across
all sectors.
• Indian constitution provides for positive efforts to
eliminate gender inequality
• The preamble to the constitution talks about goals
of achieving social ,economic and political justice to
everyone and to provide equality of status and of
opportunity to all its citizens.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

43. Constitutional Guarantees
• Article 14- Equality before law
• Article 15-No discrimination between citizens
• Article 16(1,2)-employment related
• Article 21-right to life and liberty
• Article 39-equal pay for equal work for men
and women
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

44. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

45. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

46. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

47. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

48. ( Bigamy-The state of
being married to two
people at the same time)
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

49. Gender Role in Media
• Media –make all believe that these types of
gender stereotypes are natural and prevalent in
all societies.
• Gender stereotypes shown by the media.
• Gender stereotype roles are deeply rooted in the
minds of people that get transmitted to next
generation.
• The media effects on young people play a
dramatic role in self-esteem, e motional
expression, career options, and self-acceptance
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

50. Media
• The main aim of mass media is to be universal
and suitable for everyone, in order to gather the
largest possible audience.
• Mass media not only gives people information
and entertainment, but it also affects people’s
lives by shaping their opinions, attitudes and
beliefs.
• Portrayed-gender stereotypes.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

51. M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

52. Advertisement
• Men generally
advertise cars, cigarettes,
business products or
investments, whereas
women are shown
rather in the
commercials with
cosmetics and domestic
products.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

53. • Generally in cinemas a male
character is shown as
actively engaging delivering
dialogue& women character
will be portrayed as a
passive listener.
• Hero subject movie.
• Only in recent days media
has started giving
importance to women.
• Women also assigned
important roles in cinemas
they are also presented as a
equal to men.
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34

54. Films and Song..
• The Bollywood films have well portrayed the
changes happening in the society the films has
always been criticized for its almost ignoring
the issues of gender.
• Tamil Film-Portrayed-gender stereotypes(
Except one or two films and songs & Most of
the Films Portrayed Gender Stereotypes).
M.Amala Jansi,Assistant
Professor,LCE,Chennai-34