ABSTRACT
The book intends to highlight various gender-based power politics in Indian society, and in the beginning, it strives to explore the politics of gender construction. Gender is the socio-cultural interpretation whereby different meanings, characteristics and values are associated or given to a biological body or the sex of a child. The chapter on gender vividly discusses the process of gender construction through the patriarchal society, culture, ideologies, religion, philosophy, science, media and state. The construction process provides a lower position to females while providing a further lower status to transgender. It considers concrete examples of case studies such as the Sabrimala temple case, the Shah Bano case and many others to highlight the differential treatment faced by female gender of different ages and religious communities. It highlights gender intersectionality, gender socialisation, agencies of gender socialisation, gender stereotyping and gender discrimination. The chapter also touches upon the feminist’s critique of the traditionally drawn divide between public and private, political or the public sphere consisting of state, laws, citizenship and government and the personal and the private sphere comprising the family and personal relationships. The chapter discusses gender intersectionality of other identities, gender socialisation, gender stereotyping and discrimination, with the portion on the way forward to promote gender equality.
