EQUALITY

                                          CHAPTER 3

                                          EQUALITY

introduction

our constitution has granted right to equality under Article 14. but with this it has also given special provisions like the backward community of society needs to be given reservations so that they can enjoy the right to equality. for example: if everybody has been given equal right to compete in exams, then it can happen when all sections of community share the fruits of education. but backward community in India's past were not given equal rights. So post independence, India came out with reservations to bring them on an equal platform. 

why do we need equality?

We need equality so that we can get equal treatment in society. when we are treated equally, an individual earns respect and dignity. he feels he/she is having equal worth in society despite race, caste, color, status or nationality. a person gets equal  rights and liberty. and by making use of this, he/she is able to develop his/her full personality. 

In 18th century, French revolutionaries talked about liberty, equality and fraternity to revolt against the landed aristocracy ( rich land owners) and monarchy(rule of king).

demand for equality was also raised during our independence movement when we demanded equal treatment for Indians with British. remember rowlatt act where Indians will be imprisoned without trial. and British will be tried by english judges only. this was so unequal. 

even now, we see so much of inequality. There 's so much of poverty. slums coexist with huge buildings. Women do not have equal rights like access to education, health facilities etc. in remote areas of India, dalits are still discriminated on the basis of caste. there is no equal provision of drinking water, food and sanitation facilities. 

so equality is an important principle for the society to function. and since there's all inequality around us, so equality becomes an important topic in political theory. how can we achieve an equal world? but the question arises is what kind of equality are we looking for? are we looking for equal income and status? that means, do we want everybody to earn equal income? but then if everybody will earn less and same income, country's growth will get slow. and if everybody earns more and equal income, then the lazy people will be paid equal  to hardworking people. so what kind of equality are we looking for?

these questions will be answered in this chapter. 

WHAT IS EQUALITY?

equality does not mean treatment in an identical way. it does not mean that everybody should have same goods and resources. it does not mean that everybody should have same income and status. we do not mind if our prime ministers get more privileges. but the only thing is that our PM should not abuse his powers. so we respect difference in treatment given according to status.  so a person is allowed to follow his ambitions and interests and earn his/her name accordingly.

but we do not accept if  a poor child or a dalit is not able to access education, food and health facilities.

so we want that treatment we receive and opportunities available must not be given according to our class, caste, status, region and religion. we do not want a dalit child to go to agriculture work  and a rich man's child to go to school just because there is a difference in his caste.

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES

So we have read that equality means having equal rights and opportunities like education, health facilities and employment etc, to develop our skills and talents and to pursue our own goals and ambitions. 

this means  that whether your friend is a  cricketer or you a writer, it does not matter till the time you are not getting basic essential requirements like education, health care and safe housing which if not there leads to unequal and unjust society. 

NATURAL AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES 

now there are different kind of inequalities like natural and social inequalities.

Natural inequalities are those that emerge from different capabilities and talents. they are due to different physical characteristics. it is assumed that natural inequalities cannot be altered. But to a certain extent this has been proved wrong. With the advancement in science and technology, even disabled people are now making their lives comfortable. Stephen hawking who cannot move and speak , has made significant contribution to science.  so our society and our institutions  need to help such disabled people to empower them.

but in the past there were wrong assumptions and inequality were done on the basis of natural ability. for example: women which were till now wrongly considered as weaker sex are now contributing hugely to their empowerment.  blacks and in fact Asians were considered weak and who cannot develop themselves and they need white people to free them from deprivation. but all this has been proved wrong now.  

Social Inequality: These inequalities are due to unequal access to basic things in life like education, safe housing and health care.

THREE DIMENSIONS OF INEQUALITY 

Thinkers have highlighted three types of equality which if improved upon can help us moving more towards a better and just society. 

a. political equality

In democratic societies, these would include granting equal citizenship to all members of the state. equal citizenship means certain basic rights such as right to vote, freedom of expression,  movement and association and freedom of belief are granted to everybody. they can participate in the affairs of the country. but still you would have noticed that not all are able to exercise these rights like freedom of expression and movement. it is because that they do not have equal access to resources like education. so they cannot exercise their freedom of speech and expression. so we need to grant them social equality as well. so political equality may not be sufficient but it is certainly an important component. 

b. social equality

making equal laws are enough. what we require is equality in the access of resources. so there needs to be equal social and economic conditions like adequate provision of  health care, education, nutrition and minimum wages. 

unequal opportunities do not arise only from lack of goods but also from customs. for example: women are not given equal rights in inheritance in India. so we need to make policies to prevent discrimination and harassment of women in public places. 

c. economic equality  

When there is significant differences in wealth and property between individuals or classes, then it leads to economic inequality. there are people who live below poverty line. they cannot afford food, water, sanitation and schooling. so there need to be minimum wage for individuals. and equal opportunities need to be provided. 

sometimes inequality may not be only because of wealth. but also because of the customs that have continued for long generations. if over a certain period of time, one class by having control over money and resources have ruled over another class, then the wealthy class becomes dominant and they start exercising their control. and it is difficult to become open and egalitarian. 

So how can these inequalities be overcome? Karl Marx , 19th century thinker says that inequality has come because of the ownership/ control of important economic resources like oil, land, forests and other forms of property  by rich classes.  and by owning such a great economic power, they have also got hold of political power. so these rich class make policies which benefit the rich class and is disadvantageous to poor class. so economic inequality provides support to there forms of inequality. so only providing opportunities will not help the poor class. the need is to have state or public control over the resources and property of the society.

but liberalism opposes this. they say that if state is going to have control  over resources then freedom and liberty of individuals will be curtailed and they will not be able to progress. hard working people will not be able to grow because they will feel that state will take away their fruits of hard work. so liberals say that let state intervene in providing minimum welfare to people. and when people have attained minimum standard of living, allow competition between them and everybody will then get according to their hard work.  so long as competition is there, inequalities will not be there in the system. they believe that political , social and economic inequality is not linked. on the other hand we have read that Marxists belie that social, economic and political inequality is linked. because rich people having control over wealth leads to control over political system and this also makes them powerful in society. 

but liberals believe each sphere needs to be dealt individually to tackle its problems. for political inequality we need democracy. and for social and economic inequality and state can intervene to provide minimum standard of living. liberals do not have problem as such with inequality. but they want that inequality should not disturb us while achieving our fuller capabilities. 

 HOW CAN WE PROMOTE EQUALITY?

This is a very important question that when equality is so important for the dignity of individual, what steps do we need to take to improve equality?   although karl marx has given us suggestion to have public control over resources

a. establishing formal equality 

There are various inequalities around. and these inequalities can be removed when the law of the country strictly deals with it. 

Women initially were not given right to vote. dalits were exploited.blacks were treated as slaves. but now the law has changed and their condition has also improved. so there is a need to make laws and policies which will help in their empowerment. for example: Indian constitution banned untouchability post independence under Article 17.

b. equality through different treatment

there is also a need to look at individuals from different angle. disabled people require special treatment so that they can get equal chance to enter public life. women needs to be protected in night when they return from work. so these kind of special treatment enhance and promote equality rather than disturbing equality.  in India we have also given special treatment in the form of reservations to backward community.

c. Affirmative Action 

backward community has been deprived of minimum standard of life and dignity since ages. there lacked basic necessities like education, food and decent housing. this lead to their deprivation and they became further backward. post independence, our constitution granted equal rights to all. 

but people who do not even have the basic necessities, they can't even enjoy the right to equal opportunities because they are not educated enough to enter into equal employment opportunities. 

So, our constitution has granted them reservations so that they get level playing field in terms of competition. in government jobs, 49% of jobs go to backward community. and the rest is for general class.  this is called as positive discrimination.

they are also given scholarships and special consideration in schools and colleges. 

critics of positive discrimination say that this reservation has led to reverse discrimination. it has denied the general (not backward) class equal treatment. equality says that all people should be treated alike. and we need to remove caste system to bring equality. 

NCERT Solutions for Class 11th: Ch 2 Equality Political

 Science

Page No: 51

Exercises

1. Some people argue that inequality is natural while others maintain that it is 

equality which is natural and the inequalities which we notice around us are 

created by society. Which view do you support? Give reasons.

Answer

Inequality is natural because:

• People are not equal by birth as they differ in traits, ability and talents.

• Human beings differ physically, mentally and intellectual strengths.

• There should be a division of work in society as all people can't do same work to be equal.

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2. There is a view that absolute economic equality is neither possible nor 

desirable. It is argued that the most a society can do is to try and reduce the gaps 

between the richest and poorest members of society. Do you agree?

Answer

Yes, I agree with the statement that absolute economic equality is neither possible nor desirable. The most a society can do is to try and reduce the gaps between the richest and poorest members of society. Each person plays a different role in society according to their capability. There are different ranks in the society according to the work served by the person and the rewards are equivalent to the work. Therefore, absolute economic equality cannot be possible. The only thing that a society can do is provide equal opportunity to all by providing basic services such as health education etc. irrespective of economic background.

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3. Match the following concepts with appropriate instances:

(a) Affirmative action - (i) Every adult citizen has a right to vote
(b) Equality of opportunity - (ii) Banks offer higher rate of interest to senior citizen
(c) Equal Rights - (iii) Every child should get free education

Answer
(a) Affirmative action - (ii) Banks offer higher rate of interest to senior citizen
(b) Equality of opportunity - (iii) Every child should get free education
(c) Equal Rights - (i) Every adult citizen has a right to vote

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4. A government report on farmers' problems says that small and marginal 

farmers cannot get good prices from the market. It recommends that the 

government should intervene to ensure a better price but only for small and 

marginal farmers. Is this recommendation consistent with the principle of 

equality?

Answer

Yes, the government report recommendation consistent with the principle of equality because in this case only small and marginal farmers are affected as they do not have sufficient resources and knowledge about the prices of crops in the market.

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5. Which of the following violate the principles of equality and why?

(a) Every child in class will read the text of the play by turn.

► No, there is no violation of equality as every child is getting an opportunity to read text.

(b) The Government of Canada encouraged white Europeans to migrate to Canada from the end of the Second World War till 1960.

► Yes, this is a violation of equality as white Europeans were encouraged over coloured people on the basis of their colour differences.

(c) There is a separate railway reservation counter for the senior citizens.

► No, there is no violation of equality as they have special needs and requirements.

(d) Access to some forest areas is reserved for certain tribal communities.

► No, there is no violation of equality as this is done to protects their livelihood rights and culture.

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6. Here are some arguments in favor of the right to vote for women. Which of 

these are consistent with the idea of equality? Give reasons.

(a) Women are our mothers. We shall not disrespect our mothers by denying them the right to vote.

► No, this argument is not based on the idea of equality but based on our emotions.

(b) Decisions of the government affect women as well as men, therefore they also should have a say in choosing the rulers.

► Yes, this argument is consistent with the idea of equality as it is based on decision making which affect the both men and women.

(c) Not granting women the right to vote will cause disharmony in the family.

► No, this argument is not consistent with the idea of equality as giving right to vote has no connection with the family.

(d) Women constitute half of humanity. You cannot subjugate them for long by denying them the right to vote.

► Yes, this argument is consistent with the idea of equality as it is based on rational thinking. The women constitute half population therefore given equal importance and opportunity to cast their vote.