Class 12 Home Science Chapter 1 Work, Livelihood and Career NCERT Solutions

Q. What are the different ways in which work can be perceived?

Answer: Work may be viewed as:

• A “job” and a means of making a “living”
• A task, or duty that entails a sense of obligation
• A means of security of livelihood through securing job and income
• “Dharma” or duty, an expression of one’s true Self and unique talents
• A part of spiritual practice
• A vehicle for one’s creations
• A source of joy and fulfilment
• Working and earning a livelihood offers scope for hope, self-esteem and dignity
• A symbol of status, power and control
• A rewarding experience, a sort of mental or physical workout that can result in success
• A means of self development and self-actualisation

By and large, work also has three popular connotations: work as a job and livelihood (satisfaction from income), work as a career (satisfaction from continuing advancement and achievements) and work as a calling (satisfaction from the work itself).

Q. Differentiate between job and career.

Answer:

Q. What is meant by meaningful work?

Answer: Meaningful work is useful to society or to others, is done responsibly and is enjoyable to the worker. It enables the worker to use his or her skills and judgment and to showcase creativity or problem-solving ability. Ideally it is done in an environment that builds positive professional relationships and brings recognition and/or rewards. A person in meaningful work develops a sense of identity, worth and dignity; a successful outcome adds to personal growth, confidence and self-worth, and may even lead to actualisation of full potential.

Q. Visits to local artisans can be arranged by the school. This may be followed by students preparing resource file on the local traditional arts, crafts, cuisines.

How to do it:

• With your teacher, visit two or three local artisans (for example a weaver, potter or embroiderer) and a maker of a local food item
• Note for each: the craft or food, raw materials, tools, the steps of the process, how the skill was learnt (often home-based training within the family), how the product is sold, and income problems
• Add photographs or sketches and a short note on the problems the book names (losing out to mass-produced goods, finance and marketing difficulties)
• File the pages craft-wise to make the resource file

Q. An exhibition may be organised to showcase the local traditional arts and crafts.

How to do it: Collect samples, photographs or models of local crafts (from Activity 3 or from artisans). Give each a label card with its name, region, material and process. Arrange stalls by type (weaving and embroidery, pottery and terracotta, wood and metal craft, cuisine). If possible invite an artisan to demonstrate the skill, and display the book’s areas for intervention (design innovations, packaging, training, protection of IPR) on a chart.

Q. What do you understand by the terms gender and sex?

Answer: Sex refers to the biological categorisation based on genetics, reproductive organs or similar things. Male denotes boys and men, female denotes girls and women; the external sign is the primary sexual organs, due to XX and XY or other chromosome combinations.
Gender is based on social identity. In every society, social and cultural practices decide how the genders are expected to behave and what work they do; these norms become stereotyped and are passed on from one generation to the next. Therefore gender is socially constructed. India’s Supreme Court has also recognised transgender people as a third gender.

Q. Who are home makers? What is their contribution in the economy of the family?

Answer: Home makers are those, traditionally women, who do the household chores and domestic work to support the family, in all stages of life as mother, sister, daughter, wife and grandmother.

• Their work is rarely valued or counted as an economic activity, but “money saved is money earned”
• Their work demands energy throughout their lifetime
• It helps other members of the family perform their roles and duties more efficiently
• So domestic work done by women should be valued as an economic contribution and productive activity

Q. How will the women get recognition in the family and the society?

Answer:

• The work women do at home must be valued and considered equivalent to paid work
• Women must be educated and empowered, and given their rightful voice and place in society, including the freedom to make decisions
• Training facilities to develop their skills should be increased so they are not marginalised in the labour market
• Their earnings must not be treated as merely supplementary; they need equal standing
• The mindset, attitude and approach of society to gender issues must change

Q. How are women guaranteed equality in India?

Answer:

• The Constitution of India guarantees equality to both men and women in all walks of life
• Article 16 (1) guarantees equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment and appointment to any office under the State
• The Constitution forbids discrimination in employment on grounds of caste, creed, colour, race or sex
• It stipulates just and humane conditions of work, protection from exploitation, and support for women’s educational and economic pursuits
• It empowers the State to make special provisions for women and children
• Acts such as the Factories Act of 1948, the Plantation Labour Act of 1951, the Mines Act of 1952, the ESI Act and the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 safeguard these rights

Q. What are the government initiatives in favour of women?

Answer:

• Section 48 of the Factories Act: crèches must be maintained if more than 30 women are employed; children below six years are looked after there by the industry
• Women’s cells in the Ministry of Labour to look at the problems of women workers
• Equal Remuneration Act: equal wages for the same work or work of a similar nature
• National Plan of Action (NPA) for women, taken up by the Department of Social Welfare to implement the Equal Remuneration Act
• A working group on women’s employment by the Planning Commission, to raise employment opportunities for rural women and review labour laws
• A steering committee by the Planning Commission to build the data base on women’s work, particularly in rural areas
• Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV): residential schools for never-enrolled and dropout girls, entry at Class VI, now till Class XII

Over the years the approach of women’s programmes moved from welfare, to equality of opportunity, to development.

Q. Find out about organisations or individuals in your region who are helping women to become empowered and self-reliant. Make a scrap book and display for the entire school.

How to do it: Make a list of self-help groups, women’s co-operatives, NGOs and individuals in your area through newspapers, the panchayat or municipal office and your family. For each, note the name, what work it does, how many women it helps and how (training, employment, loans). Paste photographs or news cuttings. The book’s example, Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad (an organisation of, by and for women, started in 1959 with 7 members), can be the first page. Display the scrap book in the school.

Q. Collect information on women in your region who have contributed significantly to society.

How to do it: Choose women from your district or state in fields such as education, health, social work, business or sports. For each, write a short profile: name, field, main work, the difficulties she faced and her contribution to society. Use newspapers, local libraries or a talk with the person herself, and add a photograph if available.

Q. Prepare a power point presentation (with the help of teachers) of distinguished women in Science, Technology, Mathematics, Sports, Education, Literature, Medicine and other important areas.

How to do it: Give one or two slides to each field. On each slide put the woman’s name, picture, field and main achievement. The book’s woman entrepreneur, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (biotechnologist, Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon India Ltd., which she formed in 1978), can open the business or science section. End with a slide on what the class learnt.

Q. Explain the terms: (a) Quality of work life (b) Life skills

Answer: (a) Quality of work life (QWL): an approach in which employees are considered “assets”, and it is believed that people perform better when satisfied with their work conditions. Satisfying employees’ social and psychological needs is as important as satisfying their economic needs. It takes in job and career satisfaction, satisfaction with pay, relationships with colleagues, absence of stress at work, opportunities for participative decision making, balance between work/career and home, and general feelings of well-being.

(b) Life skills: abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. According to the WHO, life skills are thinking, coping and social skills. Experts name ten: self-awareness, empathy, communication, interpersonal relationships, decision making, problem solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, coping with emotions and coping with stress. They cannot be taught in a classroom; experiential learning helps people acquire them.

Q. What is meant by healthy work environment? How can it be created?

Answer: A healthy work environment is a happy and healthy workplace, not only in the physical and social sense but also in the psychological, mental and emotional sense. A healthy work environment is a positive work environment. It can be created by focusing on:

• Paying attention to each employee’s needs and expectations in addition to organisational needs
• Building a positive work climate
• Motivating individuals
• Being fair and treating people equally
• Ensuring and facilitating technical competence
• Providing an attractive and safe work environment
• Making the job interesting and challenging
• Matching the person to the task
• Delegating wherever necessary
• Fostering team spirit and team responsibility
• Developing employees through training, building confidence, feedback, encouragement, praise, support, positive reinforcement and involvement
• Empowering employees, giving them authority wherever appropriate
• Sustained opportunities for self-development

Q. What is meant by dignity of labour?

Answer: Dignity of labour means that the person takes pride in whatever she or he does. Whatever the work, position or financial status, every person deserves respect; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Examples: Abraham Lincoln, the son of a farmer, rose from a penniless boy to become the President of the United States of America. Mahatma Gandhi did sweeping, scavenging and cleaning in his Ashram in Wardha and cleaned his own toilet to demonstrate the dignity of labour.

Q. Explain briefly the role of values and ethics in professional life.

Answer:

• Whatever a person does should be driven by values and ethics; they provide behavioural rules
• Values are beliefs, preferences or assumptions about what is desirable or good for humans, and affect how we practise. The book names service, social justice, dignity and worth of all persons, importance of human relationships, and integrity
• Ethics are a formal set of rules explicitly adopted by a group (for example professional ethics, medical ethics): “the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession”
• Being ethical at all times earns the respect of colleagues and encourages them also to be ethical
• At the workplace, values and ethics reduce waste of time and money and increase employee morale, confidence and productivity

Q. Form groups of 6-8 children and organise a discussion in the groups about issues concerning unemployment. The discussion and presentation should focus on the following: Do you know anyone who is unemployed? How is that person’s standard of living and state of mind affected by the fact that he/she is unemployed? Does he/she want to work? Is unemployment a problem in our country? What do you think are the main causes of unemployment in India? What does the government (locally and nationally) do about the problem? What other suggestions can you make to resolve this problem?

How to do it:

• Form groups of 6-8 and choose a leader and a note-taker; give each group two or three of the seven questions
• Discuss without naming or embarrassing any real person; note effects on income, standard of living, self-esteem and state of mind
• For causes and solutions, link to the chapter: the need for skilled workers and training facilities, traditional occupations losing out to mass-produced goods, and self-employment and entrepreneurship as an avenue
• Each group presents its points on a chart; the class then lists common suggestions