A historian reconstructs which tasks in a seventeenth-century peasant-artisan household depended on female labour and which were done by men. Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Sifting and kneading clay for pottery - women of the household
Option (1) Tilling and ploughing - women of the household — Incorrect. Tilling and ploughing were men's work. Menstruating women in western India were not even allowed to touch the plough.
Option (2) Sifting and kneading clay for pottery - women of the household — Correct. Sifting and kneading clay for pottery, like spinning and embroidery, was among the artisanal tasks dependent on female labour.
Option (3) Threshing and winnowing - men of the household — Incorrect. Threshing and winnowing the harvest were tasks done by women of the household.
Option (4) Sowing and weeding - men of the household — Incorrect. Sowing and weeding were also women's tasks; men tilled and ploughed.
NCERT (2026-27): “3. Women in Agrarian Society … “Artisanal tasks such as spinning yarn, sifting and kneading clay for pottery, and embroidery were among the many aspects of production dependent on female labour. …” |