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 contradiction is highlighted in gender progress in urban India?
- (a)Women are excluded from legislation
- (b)Women are unwilling to work
- (c)Superficial autonomy masks persistent traditional roles
- (d)Male literacy has declined
Answer
Why
Correct — C. The contradiction sits in one sentence of the passage:
"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."
Surface-level = superficial, camouflage = masks, persistent gendered expectations = persistent traditional roles → option (c).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)Women are excluded from legislation — Excluded from legislation reverses the passage, which says constitutional provisions guarantee equality. Its point is that legislation alone cannot undo cultural indoctrination, not that women are left out of it.
- (b)Women are unwilling to work — Unwilling to work contradicts the passage, which notes liberalization in female workforce participation and women who are educated and employed. The trouble it names is expectation, not willingness.
- (d)Male literacy has declined — Male literacy is never mentioned. The passage's discussion of men is about masculine norms such as dominance, emotional stoicism and economic provisioning, not education.
Concept
A contradiction question wants two things the passage sets against each other. Look for a concessive frame: may … but, while …, although.
Here may exhibit concedes the visible progress, and but these indicators often camouflage takes it back. The right option carries both halves. Each wrong one either reverses the passage or brings in something it never says.
The passage closes on the same idea in general form: gender roles will remain ensnared in a paradox of progress and persistence. Option (c) is the urban case of that paradox.
Key facts
- The passage says urban centers may exhibit surface-level liberalization in female workforce participation and social autonomy.
- It says these indicators often camouflage the persistent undercurrents of gendered expectations.
- It closes on a paradox of progress and persistence.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing (a) from the line that legislation alone cannot undo cultural indoctrination, which calls the law insufficient, not exclusive
- Choosing (b) from the words female workforce participation without reading what the sentence says about them
A contradiction question on the same concessive frame is keyed at 17 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.19, where "While British administrators encouraged the codification of Indian languages" is answered by codification ignoring oral and cultural nuances.
English Q.16 of this paper draws on the same passage.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.