Which of the following statements about rural-urban composition of a population are correct?
(A) In western countries, males outnumber females in rural areas.
(B) In western countries, females outnumber males in urban areas.
(C) In India, males outnumber females in urban areas.
(D) In India, females outnumber males in urban areas.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (C)
(A) In western countries, males outnumber females in rural areas. — Correct. In Western countries, men stay in rural areas, where farming is highly mechanised and largely a male occupation.
(B) In western countries, females outnumber males in urban areas. — Correct. Women move from rural areas to cities for the vast job opportunities there, so females outnumber males in urban areas.
(C) In India, males outnumber females in urban areas. — Correct. In India the case is the reverse of the Western countries. Asian urban areas stay male dominated because mostly men migrate to cities.
(D) In India, females outnumber males in urban areas. — Incorrect. This is the Western pattern, not the Indian one. Shortage of housing, high cost of living, few jobs and lack of security in cities discourage women from moving to cities.
Note: This question is taken from the pre-rationalised NCERT book. The latest edition (2026-27) does not have this part. An extract of the pre-rationalised NCERT book is given below for the benefit of students.
Pre-rationalised NCERT: “RURAL URBAN COMPOSITION … The rural and urban differences in sex ratio in Canada and West European countries like Finland are just the opposite of those in African and Asian countries like Zimbabwe and Nepal respectively. In Western countries, males outnumber females in rural areas and females outnumber the males in urban areas. In countries like Nepal, Pakistan and India the case is reverse. … By contrast the sex ratio in Asian urban areas remains male dominated due to the predominance of male migration.” |