Ritu works for an IT firm and is happy that the firm gives her freedom of working hours. She can even work late on Saturday night and come late on Monday, every time her boss gives her a deadline. Also, most meetings happen over a weekend dinner at the office. What is Ritu being subjected to?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → 'flexi-time' but in reality expansion of working hours by the management
Option (1) knowledge economy where her work is in the IT sector — Incorrect. ‘Knowledge economy’ is the phrase used for the growth of the IT sector and of knowledge-based work. It describes the kind of industry Ritu works in, not what is being done to her working hours.
Option (2) 'flexi-time' but in reality expansion of working hours by the management — Correct. Flexi-time in theory gives an employee freedom to choose his or her working hours, but in practice means working as long as necessary to finish the task. Ritu feels free, yet every deadline keeps her late on Saturday night and her meetings take up weekend dinners. Long hours are legitimised by this management practice, so her work spreads into her own time.
Option (3) globalisation because her clients are in Japan — Incorrect. The case says nothing about clients abroad. What it describes is the firm’s own practice of stretching her hours around every deadline her boss gives, not the effect of global links.
Option (4) gender discrimination — Incorrect. Gender discrimination would mean Ritu is treated worse because she is a woman. Nothing in the case does that; long hours under ‘flexi-time’ are the work culture of the whole industry, for men and women alike.
NCERT: Social Change and Development in India — Chapter 5: Change and Development in Industrial Society (2025-26)
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