NCERT Economics Class 9 Chapter 2 | Economic Activities by Men and Women Notes & PDF

Topic covered: Economic Activities by Men and Women and MCQs Questions: People as Resource (All single detail notes are exam-oriented).

We have discussed in-depth and exam-oriented pointers that can be asked in the board exam of class 9th about the “Economic Activities by Men and Women“ from the NCERT Economics notes for class 9th chapter 2 People as Resource.

Download the NCERT Economics for Class 9th Chapter 2 People as Resource Notes PDF

Chapter 2: People as Resource in Class 9 Economics shifts focus from material wealth to human beings as an asset. It shows how education, health, and skills turn a population into productive power. Many students struggle to connect terms like “human capital” with real-life examples, so these notes explain them in a simple, relatable way. You’ll find clear points on economic activities, the role of men and women, and why investment in people matters as much as investment in machines. Download the NCERT Economics for Class 9th Chapter 2 People as Resource Notes PDF to make your revision faster and easier.

Economic Activities by Men and Women

1. Classification of Economic Activities:

• Economic activities are divided into three main sectors:
  i. Primary sector – agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, poultry, mining, quarrying.
  ii. Secondary sector – manufacturing.
  iii. Tertiary sector – trade, transport, communication, banking, education, health, tourism, services, insurance, etc.
• These activities result in the production of goods and services.
• All economic activities add value to the national income.

2. Market and Non-Market Activities:

• Market activities – performed for pay/profit, include production of goods/services (including government service).
• Non-market activities – production for self-consumption, e.g., processing of primary products, own account production of fixed assets.

3. Division of Labour Between Men and Women:

• Historical and cultural factors have caused a division of labour within families.
• Women – generally handle domestic chores (cooking, cleaning, childcare).
• Men – usually work in fields and markets (cultivation, selling produce).
• Women’s household work is not paid and not included in National Income.
• Women earn income only when they enter the labour market.

4. Role of Education and Skills:

• Education and skill are key determinants of earnings.
• Majority of women have low education and skill levels – low wages.
• Women’s wages are generally lower than men’s.
• High education + skills – women earn at par with men.

5. Working Conditions of Women:

• Most women work in jobs with:
  a. No job security.
  b. Low and irregular income.
  c. Little legal protection.
  d. Lack of facilities (maternity leave, childcare, social security).
• Organised sector (teaching, medicine) attracts educated women.
• Some women enter administrative, scientific, and technological fields.

Next & Previous Topics of NCERT/CBSE Economics Class 9 Chapter 2: People as Resource

MCQs on NCERT Economics Class 9 Chapter 2 Topic – Economic Activities by Men and Women

Here are the top exam-oriented MCQ-type questions on “Economic Activities by Men and Women” that you should prepare for your CBSE or state board exams:

Question 1. Which of the following activities is included in the primary sector?

(a) Banking
(b) Mining
(c) Manufacturing
(d) Trade

Answer: (b) Mining

Question 2. Which activity belongs to the secondary sector?

(a) Animal husbandry
(b) Manufacturing
(c) Fishing
(d) Forestry

Answer: (b) Manufacturing

Question 3. Trade, transport, education, and health are examples of which sector?

(a) Primary
(b) Secondary
(c) Tertiary
(d) Organised

Answer: (c) Tertiary

Question 4. Activities in primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors contribute to—

(a) Political equality
(b) National income
(c) Social justice
(d) Education system

Answer: (b) National income

Question 5. Which of the following is a market activity?

(a) Cooking food for the family
(b) Washing clothes at home
(c) Selling fish in the market
(d) Cleaning utensils in the house

Answer: (c) Selling fish in the market

Question 6. Which of the following is a non-market activity?

(a) Working in a government school
(b) Selling milk in the market
(c) Producing wheat for family consumption
(d) Providing banking services

Answer: (c) Producing wheat for family consumption

Question 7. Market activities involve—

(a) Services performed without pay
(b) Remuneration or profit
(c) Only household chores
(d) Consumption for self-use

Answer: (b) Remuneration or profit

Question 8. Why is there division of labour between men and women in families?

(a) Economic reasons
(b) Educational reasons
(c) Historical and cultural reasons
(d) Political reasons

Answer: (c) Historical and cultural reasons

Question 9. Which of the following is NOT recognised in the national income?

(a) Farming by men
(b) Household work done by women
(c) Selling produce in the market
(d) Government service

Answer: (b) Household work done by women

Question 10. Who earns money for Sakal’s family by selling produce in the market?

(a) Sheela
(b) Buta
(c) Vilas
(d) Geeta

Answer: (b) Buta

Question 11. Whose income was counted in national income among the examples given?

(a) Sheela (domestic work)
(b) Buta (farming produce)
(c) Both Sheela and Buta
(d) None of them

Answer: (b) Buta (farming produce)

Question 12. Geeta earned an income by—

(a) Selling vegetables
(b) Selling milk
(c) Selling fish
(d) Teaching in a school

Answer: (c) Selling fish

Question 13. What are the major determinants of an individual’s earning in the market?

(a) Age and caste
(b) Education and skill
(c) Gender and tradition
(d) Physical strength and social status

Answer: (b) Education and skill

Question 14. Why do most women get low wages compared to men?

(a) Lack of job security
(b) Meagre education and low skill formation
(c) Political discrimination
(d) Lack of physical strength

Answer: (b) Meagre education and low skill formation

Question 15. Women with higher education and skill are generally—

(a) Paid less than men
(b) Paid at par with men
(c) Not given jobs
(d) Restricted to household work

Answer: (b) Paid at par with men

Question 16. Most women work in which type of sector?

(a) Organised sector with job security
(b) Unorganised sector with low security
(c) Government sector with benefits
(d) High-skill technological jobs only

Answer: (b) Unorganised sector with low security

Question 17. Which of the following facilities are usually absent in women’s employment?

(a) Maternity leave and childcare
(b) Salary and promotion
(c) Training programmes
(d) Pensions

Answer: (a) Maternity leave and childcare

Question 18. Which two fields in the organised sector attract women the most?

(a) Law and police service
(b) Teaching and medicine
(c) Banking and tourism
(d) Engineering and defence

Answer: (b) Teaching and medicine

Question 19. Some women have entered services requiring high scientific and technological competence. Example:

(a) Administrative services
(b) Non-market activities
(c) Household chores
(d) Only farming

Answer: (a) Administrative services

Question 20. Sheela cooks food, washes clothes, and looks after children. Why is her work not counted in national income?

(a) It is voluntary
(b) It is non-market activity done for the family
(c) It has no economic value
(d) It is irregular work

Answer: (b) It is non-market activity done for the family

Question 21. Which statement about women’s work is correct?

(a) Household work by women is recognised in GDP
(b) Women are always paid less due to gender bias only
(c) Women with education and skill earn equally as men
(d) All women work only in the unorganised sector

Answer: (c) Women with education and skill earn equally as men

Question 22. Which activity is part of “own account production of fixed assets”?

(a) Making a house for own use
(b) Selling crops in the market
(c) Working in a bank
(d) Teaching in a school

Answer: (a) Making a house for own use