Instructions:
- Define social problems.
- Discuss two major social problems:
- Discrimination against women
- Corruption
Solution: What are social problems?
Any condition or behaviour that has a negative impact on a large number of people is referred to as a social problem.
Robert Merton and Robert Nisbet describe social problems as a way of behaviour that is regarded by a substantial part of society as being in violation of one or more generally accepted or approved norms.
Discrimination against women
Despite constituting almost half the population, women’s issues are not given adequate attention in India.
The instances of discrimination against women include denial of access to education, which is evident from the fact that the literacy rate of females is 65% as compared to 82% of males, as per the 2011 census.
Average salary earnings received by female workers still lag behind the average earnings of male workers.
In most families, women share a disproportionately higher burden of household chores.
Women are frequently subjected to domestic violence and physical abuse.
Corruption:
- Corruption is a social evil that increases inequality, poverty, social division, and lack of trust in public authorities. It is a result of dishonest behaviour by those in positions of power.
- It can take many forms, but commonly it refers to acceptance or giving bribes to gain illegal benefits.
- India ranked 85 among 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2021 released by Transparency International.
- Corruption weakens democratic values and hampers economic development.
- The only way to check its spread is by having strong ethics and complete transparency in the working of government institutions.