Growing up as Boys and Girls

Q1. Fill in the blanks.

                        i.        The different roles assigned to boys and girls prepare them for their future roles as men and women.

                       ii.        In Madhya Pradesh in the 1960s, from Class VI onwards, boys and girls went to separate schools.

                      iii.        Most domestic workers are women.

                      iv.        Our constitution does not make any discrimination on the basis of gender.

                      v.        The provision of crèches helps many women to take up employment outside the home.

                      vi.        Housework is invisible and unpaid work.

Q2. True/False

                        i.        The society we grow up in teaches us what kind of behaviour is acceptable for girls and boys. True

                       ii.        If we talk to elders in our family, we will see that their childhoods were probably the same as ours. False

                      iii.        Men and women do not have the same status. True

                      iv.        The government has set up anganwadis or child-care centres in several villages in the country. True

                      v.        Work done by a housewife is valued. False

Q3. Why domestic workers' wages are often very low?

Ans. Wages are low, as domestic work does not have much value.

Q4. Mention the most important activity on the Samoan Islands in 1920s.

Ans. Fishing was a very important activity on the islands.

Q5. What do we teach boys and girls from a very young age?

Ans. We teach girls to talk softly and boys to be tough.

Q6. Why do girls like to go to school together in groups?

Ans. Girls like to go to school together in groups because of fears of being teased or attacked.

Q7. Were Harmeet and Shonali correct in saying that Harmeet’s mother did not work?

Ans. No, Harmeet and Shonali were not correct in saying that Harmeet’s mother did not work.

Q8. “As these girls walked on the streets, they looked so purposeful.” What it means?

Ans.  It means that for the girls, the street was simply a place to get straight home.

Q9. What is the daily schedule of a domestic worker?

Ans. A domestic worker’s day can begin as early as five in the morning and end as late as twelve at night.

Q10. How are domestic workers treated by their employers?

Ans. Despite the hard work domestic workers do, their employers often do not show them much respect.

Q11. Where are the Samoan islands located?

Ans.  The Samoan Islands are part of a large group of small islands in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.

Q12. Why are girls and boys given different toys to play with?

Ans. Girls and boys are given different toys to play with because toys become a way of telling children that they will have different futures when they become men and women.

Q13. What are the expected responsibilities of women in the family?

Ans. Housework and care-giving tasks, like looking after the family, especially children, the elderly and sick members, are the expected responsibilities of women in the family.

Q14. Define the term Double-burden.

Ans. The term Double-burden literally means a double load. This term is commonly used to describe the women’s work situation. It has emerged from a recognition that women typically labour both inside the home (housework) and outside.

Q15. Why do you think that men and boys generally do not do housework?

Ans.  Men and boys generally do not do housework because it is assumed that this is something that comes naturally to women. Thus, across the world, the main responsibility for housework and care-giving tasks lies with women.