Chattisgarh govt to withdraw chapter on working women cause unemployment

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Chattisgarh courted controversy with a chapter in its Class X social science textbook, saying that working women are one of the causes of unemployment in the country.

After an uproar, the state government on Wednesday said that it had decided to withdraw the controversial chapter, which was dubbed as “highly objectionable” by the opposition Congress.

The textbook published by the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education states that the ratio of unemployment of men increased after Independence because women have started working in all 

sectors.

“The chapter (which contains controversial representation of women) will be withdrawn from the textbooks. I have issued directives in this regard to take immediate action,” said School Education Minister Kedar Kashyap.

The chapter will not be taught in the current academic session and will be removed from the next year, he added.

The chapter has been there in the textbooks since 2008 and an investigation will be conducted to identify those responsible for it. This will be followed by appropriate action against the guilty, the minister added.

Besides, the School Education Department will form a committee to evaluate contents of all textbooks of higher classes –10, 11 and 12, he said.

A teacher from the tribal-dominated Jashpur district had filed a complaint last month with the state women’s commission over the issue, citing it as violation of Constitution, which provides equal rights to men and women. “The Constitution provides women equal right over jobs with men, then how can they blame females for rising unemployment of males. Students should be taught about actual cause of unemployment rather than such prejudiced reasons,” said Soumya Garg, a teacher with Sarswati Shishu Mandir, Jashpur.

The depiction women in this way would not only develop a negative impression for girls among boys but also discourage girl students, Garg said. In a chapter on economic problems and challenges, working women were claimed to be one of the reasons for unemployment.