Q7
(a) Explain how the pattern of patriarchy is being altered in a family and at the workplace in the present context. 20 (b) Critically examine the contribution of dependency theories in understanding the present global scenario. 20 (c) Explain the growing salience of ethnicity in the contemporary world with illustrations. 10
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
(a) वर्तमान संदर्भ में परिवार और कार्यस्थल पर पितृतंत्र का प्रतिरूप (पैटर्न) कैसे बदल रहा है, समझाइए । 20 (b) वर्तमान वैश्विक परिदृश्य को समझने में आश्रितता सिद्धांतों के योगदान का समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए । 20 (c) समकालीन दुनिया में नृजातीयता के बढ़ते महत्व को दृष्टांतों के साथ समझाइए । 10
Directive word: Explain
This question asks you to explain. The directive word signals the depth of analysis expected, the structure of your answer, and the weight of evidence you must bring.
See our UPSC directive words guide for a full breakdown of how to respond to each command word.
How this answer will be evaluated
Approach
The directive 'explain' demands causal mechanisms and processes, not mere description. Allocate approximately 40% of time/words to part (a) given its 20 marks, covering both family and workplace transformations; 40% to part (b) for critical examination of dependency theories with contemporary relevance; and 20% to part (c) for ethnicity with concrete illustrations. Structure: brief composite introduction linking the three themes under 'contemporary transformations', then three distinct sections with clear sub-headings, and a synthesising conclusion on whether these changes represent fundamental structural shifts or adaptive reproductions.
Key points expected
- Part (a): Family — from joint to nuclear families, dual-earner households, declining sex ratio at birth in some regions vs. daughter preference in others, changing marriage patterns (delayed marriage, inter-caste), domestic division of labour (time-use surveys showing persistent asymmetry)
- Part (a): Workplace — feminisation of workforce in informal sector, glass ceiling in corporate India, #MeToo movement, maternity benefit amendments, platform economy and gig work gender dynamics, care economy burden
- Part (b): Classical dependency theory (Prebisch-Singer hypothesis, Frank's 'development of underdevelopment'), world-systems theory (Wallerstein), contemporary relevance for BRICS challenge, China's manufacturing rise, global value chains, digital colonialism, climate debt
- Part (b): Critique — ignores internal class dynamics, overstates core-periphery rigidity, fails to explain East Asian NICs, alternative frameworks (Rostow, Amartya Sen's capabilities)
- Part (c): Ethnicity as political resource — ethnic nationalism (Kashmir, Northeast), ethnic conflicts (Sri Lankan Tamils, Rohingya), diaspora politics, ethnic federalism (Nepal), instrumentalist vs. primordialist debates
- Part (c): Globalisation and ethnic resurgence — identity politics, multiculturalism backlash, ethnic entrepreneurship, transnational ethnic networks
Evaluation rubric
| Dimension | Weight | Max marks | Excellent | Average | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demand-directive understanding | 20% | 10 | For (a), treats 'explain' as demanding causal mechanisms of patriarchal transformation, not just listing changes; for (b), 'critically examine' is honoured by testing dependency theory against post-1990 globalisation evidence; for (c), 'explain' links ethnicity salience to specific structural conditions (globalisation, state failure, democratisation). | Recognises the three directives but treats them descriptively; (b) becomes summary of dependency theorists without critical testing; (c) lists ethnic conflicts without explaining why ethnicity matters now. | Misreads all three parts as 'describe'; no causal analysis in (a), no critique in (b), no explanatory framework in (c). |
| Theoretical framing | 20% | 10 | (a) Deploys Sylvia Walby's public-private patriarchy, Hochschild's 'second shift', or Standing's 'feminisation of labour'; (b) Uses Frank, Amin, Wallerstein accurately with awareness of world-systems evolution; (c) Applies Brass's instrumentalism, Horowitz's ethnic conflict theory, or Anderson's imagined communities with precision. | Names theorists correctly but applies frameworks loosely; e.g., mentions Wallerstein without explaining core-periphery-semiperiphery dynamics or their contemporary instability. | No named theorists; or misattributes concepts (e.g., calling Prebisch a world-systems theorist); theoretical vocabulary absent. |
| Indian / empirical examples | 20% | 10 | (a) Cites PLFS 2022-23 female LFPR data, NFHS-5 domestic violence statistics, or NITI Aayog gender index; (b) References India's position in global value chains (iPhone assembly), trade dependency patterns, or climate finance negotiations; (c) Uses Kashmir autonomy erosion, Naga peace process, or CAA-NRC protests as structured illustrations. | Mentions generic Indian trends (Beti Bachao, Make in India) without specific data; (c) lists ethnic groups without analytical deployment. | Exclusively Western examples for (a) and (b); (c) uses outdated or inaccurate cases (e.g., treating caste as ethnicity without distinction). |
| Multi-paradigm analysis | 20% | 10 | (a) Balances liberal feminist progress narrative with Marxist-feminist critique of neoliberal patriarchy; (b) Tests dependency against competing frameworks (neoclassical trade theory, Sen's capabilities, postcolonial critiques of Eurocentrism); (c) Weighs primordialist, instrumentalist, and constructivist ethnicity explanations. | Acknowledges one alternative perspective per part but doesn't develop the tension; e.g., notes 'some say globalisation helps' in (b) without elaboration. | Single-paradigm treatment throughout; e.g., dependency theory presented as unquestioned truth, or patriarchal decline treated as unilinear progress. |
| Conclusion & sociological imagination | 20% | 10 | Synthesises across parts: whether patriarchy, dependency, and ethnicity represent 'zombie categories' (Beck) being transformed by reflexive modernisation; connects personal troubles (individual workplace discrimination) to public issues (global restructuring); proposes researchable questions or policy directions. | Summarises three parts separately without cross-cutting insight; conclusion restates main points without analytical elevation. | No conclusion, or abrupt ending; fails to link the three themes even at surface level; no sociological imagination demonstrated. |
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