Gender Roles and Changing Perspectives in Indian Society
Gowramma S M
Assistant Professor, GFGC Davanagere, Davangere University, Karnataka
Keywords: Mimesis, Platonic Idealism, Theory of Forms, Censorship, Aesthetics, Didacticism, The Republic
Abstract
This research paper looks at the changing “Gender Contract” in present-day India, and it studies the shift from traditional, status-based roles to more modern and negotiated identities. As we all know, in our country, social roles are slowly changing. By using a descriptive and analytical method based on Social Constructivist theory, the study explains how economic growth, digital reach, and new laws connect with long-standing patriarchal systems. The analysis uses important secondary data, including the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) and key legal cases like the NALSA judgment, to show a continuing “Domestic Paradox.” The findings show that even though Indian women are gaining strong agency in professional fields— especially in STEM and leadership—they still carry a “dual burden” of unpaid household work. This is something commonly seen among Indian people. The paper also looks at how masculinity is changing among urban millennials and how media plays an important role in shaping public thinking. The study finally says that gender in India is not a fixed binary anymore but a wide spectrum affected by caste, class, and region. To reduce the gap between laws and social mindset, it suggests gender-neutral education from early years. Overall, it presents a clear picture of a society in transition, where progress is happening, but in an uneven way.
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