UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 44)

What is the gender pay gap and what are the reasons for the gender pay gap?

QUESTION 2

What does the Constitution say about the terms of state Assemblies and Lok Sabha? How House terms and poll schedules are decided?

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

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— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

— Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer.

— Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required.

Way forward/ conclusion

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— The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction.

— You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers.

Self Evaluation

— It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers.

THOUGHT PROCESS

You may enrich your answers by some of the following points

QUESTION 1: The International Labour Organisation terms the gender pay gap as a “measurable indicator” of inequality between women and men.

What is the gender pay gap and what are the reasons for the gender pay gap?

Introduction:

— The International Labour Organisation terms the gender pay gap as a “measurable indicator” of inequality between women and men.

— According to the ILO, the gender pay gap is defined as the gap between the average wage level of all women and all men working in the labour market for a monthly salary, hourly or daily wage.

— This gap is not the wage gap between a man and a woman with the same observable characteristics, doing the same work; it is the difference between the average wage levels of all working women and men.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

— It is distinct from the concept of “equal pay for equal work”, which says if women and men have the same qualifications and do the same work, they need to be paid equally.

— Women are not involved in paying jobs as much as men are, owing to notions about gender roles.

— According to ILO, the current global labour force participation rate for women is just under 47%. For men, it is 72%.

— In India, as per the 2011 Census, the workforce participation rate for women is 25.51% against 53.26% for men.

— ILO’s Women in Business and Management report found that “Far fewer women than men are in management and leadership positions, especially at higher levels.

— When women become managers, they are more likely to focus on management support activities such as human resources and financial administration rather than more strategic roles. This lowers the average compensation of female managers relative to male managers.

Conclusion:

— There is no one agreed-upon method to calculate this gap. Pew Research found in 2012 that women earned 84 per cent of what men earned in the US, while the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that women earned 81 cents to the dollar.

— Pew used hourly wages to calculate the difference, whereas the Labor Bureau used weekly wages, taking into account only full-time workers (defined as those who usually work at least 35 hours per week).

(Source: World Bank report says women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns: what is the gender pay gap? by Rishika Singh)

Points to Ponder

What does the gender pay gap tell us?

International Labour Organisation

Related Previous Year Questions

Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples. (2021)

Hunger and Poverty are the biggest challenges for good governance in India still today. Evaluate how far successive governments have progressed in dealing with these humongous problems. Suggest measures for improvement. (2017)

QUESTION 2: What does the Constitution say about the terms of state Assemblies and Lok Sabha? How House terms and poll schedules are decided?

Introduction:

— Article 172(1) states: “Every Legislative Assembly of every State, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer and the expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as a dissolution of the Assembly”.

— The term of the Assembly “may, while a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation, be extended by Parliament…for a period not exceeding one year at a time and not extending in any case beyond a period of six months after the Proclamation has ceased to operate”.

— For Lok Sabha, Article 83(2) states: “The House of the People, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer and the expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as a dissolution of the House.”

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

What are the things that the ECI looks at while fixing the election schedule?

— When deciding on the election timetable, the ECI takes into account issues such as the weather, festivals, and key examinations, as well as the availability of school buildings, where polling stations are frequently set up, and teachers, who are mobilised for election duty.

— The historical and geographic situation, and the logistics requirements of moving security forces to ensure free and fair elections.

— According to several serving and former election officials, the date of expiration of the term of the legislature is the “first thing” that is taken into consideration.

— The ECI works towards completing the election process at least one day before the end of the term of the House — which means results are declared a few days prior, and one or two days are kept for the completion of documentation and other formalities.

(Source: How House terms and poll schedules are decided by Liz Mathew and Damini Nath)

Points to Ponder

Election schedule in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim

Related Previous Year Questions

Discuss the role of Presiding Officers of state legislatures in maintaining order and impartiality in conducting legislative work and in facilitating best democratic practices. (2023)

Discuss the role of the Vice-President of India as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. (2022)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 43)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 42)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 43)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 42)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 43)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 44)

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