Read the following passage and answer the questions based on the passage :
The discourse on gender roles in modern India occupies a complex intersection between inherited patriarchal structures and evolving socio-political consciousness. While constitutional provisions guarantee equality and the policy framework has increasingly incorporated gender-sensitive measures, deep-seated cultural scripts continue to govern the lived experiences of both women and men across diverse social strata. Contrary to the homogenizing narrative of progress, gender dynamics in India remain highly uneven. Urban centers may exhibit surface-level liberalization in female workforce participation and social autonomy, but these indicators often camouflage the persistent undercurrents of gendered expectations. Women, even when educated and employed, are frequently subjected to the “double burden”—juggling professional obligations with entrenched domestic responsibilities. The idea of the "ideal Indian woman" remains tethered to notions of chastity, compliance, and familial prioritization, subtly reinforced through popular media, matrimonial conventions, and institutional biases. In rural and semi-urban contexts, the scenario becomes even more layered. While grassroots movements and self-help groups have undoubtedly empowered many women economically and politically, the transformation in gender attitudes is far from uniform. Customary practices such as dowry, son-preference, and moral policing continue to restrict female agency. The intersection of gender with caste, class, and religion further complicates this matrix, rendering some women doubly or triply marginalized. For instance, a Dalit woman in a patriarchal village setup not only grapples with gendered subjugation but also caste discrimination and socio-economic precarity. Meanwhile, discussions around masculinity in India have remained relatively under-theorized. The cultural construct of the Indian male continues to valorize dominance, emotional stoicism, and economic provisioning. These norms are not only restrictive for women but also profoundly limiting for men, who face stigmatization when deviating from prescribed masculine roles. The lack of space for emotional vulnerability or non-conformist identity expression among men reveals that patriarchal systems, while privileging one gender, dehumanize both. Education, digital media, and feminist activism have undoubtedly created ruptures in traditional gender narratives. However, the backlash against progressive gender norms—evident in increasing online misogyny, moral vigilantism, and politicization of women’s autonomy—signals that change is not linear. Legislation alone cannot undo centuries of cultural indoctrination; transformation demands a deeper, intergenerational shift in values. To genuinely transcend regressive gender binaries, India must invest not just in policies but in pedagogies—ones that dismantle gender essentialism from early childhood, promote inclusive masculinities, and validate diverse gender expressions. Without such a fundamental reimagining, the rhetoric of equality will continue to outpace reality, and gender roles will remain ensnared in a paradox of progress and persistence.
What does the term “double burden” refer to in the context of urban Indian women?
- (a)Dual employment
- (b)Economic dependence and social isolation
- (c)Gender-based violence at home
- (d)Balancing job and household responsibilities
Answer
Why
Correct — D. The passage defines the term in the same sentence, right after the dash:
"Women, even when educated and employed, are frequently subjected to the “double burden”—juggling professional obligations with entrenched domestic responsibilities."
Professional obligations are the job, domestic responsibilities are the household, and juggling is balancing → option (d).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)Dual employment — Dual employment means holding two jobs. The passage's two loads are one job and the housework: professional obligations and domestic responsibilities.
- (b)Economic dependence and social isolation — Economic dependence contradicts the sentence, which describes these women as educated and employed. Social isolation is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.
- (c)Gender-based violence at home — Domestic in the passage means household duties, not domestic violence. The passage never mentions violence at home.
Concept
When a question asks what a quoted term refers to, start with the sentence that contains it. Here the writer glosses the term straight after an em dash.
Then match paraphrases: professional obligations = job, domestic responsibilities = household, juggling = balancing. The option that carries all three is the answer.
The question says urban Indian women. The double-burden sentence sits in the passage's account of urban centers, just before it turns to rural and semi-urban contexts.
Key facts
- The passage glosses the double burden as juggling professional obligations with entrenched domestic responsibilities.
- The women it describes are educated and employed.
- The sentence comes in the discussion of urban centers, before the passage turns to rural and semi-urban India.
Study next
Common traps
- Reading domestic as domestic violence and choosing (c)
- Reading double as two jobs and choosing (a)
A phrase-in-context question is also asked at 15 Sep 2025, 12:30, English Q.19, where the passage's commodification of art has to be read from its surrounding sentences.
English Q.17 of this paper draws on the same passage.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.