Records of rural society in Mughal India show that women were closely restrained by the male members of the family and the community. Which of the following best explains this?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The importance attached to women as a reproductive force made the fear of losing control over them great
Option (1) The importance attached to women as a reproductive force made the fear of losing control over them great — Correct. Women were valued as a reproductive force, so men feared losing control over them. With the household headed by a male, this fear led to strict control by men of the family and community.
Option (2) The right of women to inherit zamindaris made male relatives fear the loss of family land — Incorrect. Women of the landed gentry did inherit property, but this point stands apart from the reason given for the restraint on women.
Option (3) The payment of bride-price made men treat women as property bought by the family — Incorrect. Bride-price was a marriage custom of many rural communities, a payment to the bride's family. It lies outside the reason given for the restraint on women.
Option (4) Petitions by women to the panchayat made male heads fear the loss of their authority — Incorrect. Petitions were the way women sought justice against neglect or infidelity. They show women's protest against men's control.
NCERT (2026-27): “3. Women in Agrarian Society … |