Store
UPSC Mains 2023 · GS Paper IV · Q9

UPSC Mains 2023 GS4 Q9: model answer

At 9 pm on Saturday evening, Rashika, a Joint Secretary, was still engrossed in her work in her office. Her husband, Vikram, is an executive in an MNC and frequently out of town in connection with his work. Their two children aged 5 and 3 are looked after by their domestic helper. At 9:30 pm her superior, Mr. Suresh calls her and asks her to prepare a detailed note on an important matter to be discussed in a meeting in the Ministry. She realises that she will have to work on Sunday to finish the additional task given by her superior.
She reflects on how she had looked forward to this posting and had worked long hours for months to achieve it. She had kept the welfare of people uppermost in discharging her duties. She feels that she has not done enough justice to her family and she has not fulfilled her duties in discharging essential social obligations. Even as recently as last month she had to leave her sick child in the nanny’s care as she had to work in the office. Now, she feels that she must draw a line, beyond which her personal life should take precedence over her professional responsibilities. She thinks that there should be reasonable limits to the work ethics such as punctuality, hard work, dedication to duty and selfless service.
(a) Discuss the ethical issues involved in this case.
(b) Briefly describe at least four laws that have been enacted by the Government with respect to providing a healthy, safe and equitable working environment for women.
(c) Imagine you are in a similar situation. What suggestions would you make to mitigate such working conditions ?

20 marks250 wordsDirective: Case study

What the question wants

Ethical issues in work-life balance, four laws for women's work environment, and practical suggestions.

How to structure it

Intro: duty to public versus duty to family. Body: (a) Issues: work-life balance, duty conflict, gendered care burden, superior's reasonableness, self-care, children's welfare, burnout and efficiency; (b) Four laws: Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017, POSH Act 2013, Equal Remuneration (now Code on Wages 2019), OSH Code 2020 night shift safeguards, Factories Act, Code on Social Security crèche provisions; Child Care Leave in CCS rules; (c) Suggestions: prioritise and delegate, communicate with superior, plan ahead, share care with spouse, flexible work, institutional support (crèches, no late calls norm). Conclusion: sustainable dedication.

How to structure the answer
IntroductionDuty to public versus duty to family
Main body
  1. 1(a) Issues: work-life balance, duty conflict, gendered care burden, superior's reasonableness, self-care, children's welfare, burnout and efficiency
  2. 2(b) Four laws: Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017, POSH Act 2013, Equal Remuneration (now Code on Wages 2019), OSH Code 2020 night shift safeguards, Factories Act, Code on Social Security crèche provisions
  3. 3Child Care Leave in CCS rules
  4. 4(c) Suggestions: prioritise and delegate, communicate with superior, plan ahead, share care with spouse, flexible work, institutional support (crèches, no late calls norm)
ConclusionSustainable dedication

Model answer

Rashika is torn between her duty to the public and her duty to her family. Both are legitimate.

(a) Ethical issues

  • Work-life balance and personal well-being.
  • Conflict of duties: public service versus care for young children.
  • Gender burden: care falls mostly on women even when both parents work.
  • Reasonableness of superiors: late-night demands without urgency.
  • Efficiency: burnout reduces quality of work.
  • Limits of 'selfless service': dedication need not mean self-neglect.

(b) Laws for women's working environment

  • Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017: 26 weeks' paid leave and crèches in establishments with 50 or more workers.
  • Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (POSH) Act, 2013: Internal Committees and redress.
  • Code on Wages, 2019: no gender discrimination in pay and recruitment, replacing the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
  • Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020: women may work night shifts only with consent and safety arrangements.
  • For government servants, up to two years of Child Care Leave under the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules.

(c) My suggestions in a similar situation

  • Clarify the deadline with the superior; if the note is not urgent, ask to finish it on Monday.
  • Delegate parts to subordinates and use templates for routine work.
  • Plan ahead to reduce last-minute tasks; block family time.
  • Share care responsibilities with my spouse; use reliable childcare.
  • Use leave entitlements such as Child Care Leave when children are ill.
  • At the institutional level, suggest norms against non-urgent late-evening calls, office crèches and flexible hours.

Sustained dedication needs balance. A rested officer with a stable family serves the public better.

Keywords, cases and data to drop in

work-life balance Maternity Benefit Act POSH Act Child Care Leave burnout

Where most answers lose marks

  • Wrong or fewer than four laws.
  • Advising her to quit.

Fresh examples from current affairs

GS2/GS3 · Cooperatives, women empowerment

‘She-Mart’ cooperative outlets launched in Keralam to link women SHGs to markets

On 26 September 2026 the Union Minister of Cooperation launched She-Mart at Kollam, Keralam. Announced in the Budget, She-Mart links women Self-Help Groups and rural women entrepreneurs directly to buyers. More than 300 She-Mart stores are planned across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, selling local and Bharat Brand products.

UPSC angle: Mains: Can cooperatives solve the market-access problem of women SHGs?

26 Sep 2026
GS1/2 · Women and children

100-day Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign

Laws alone have not ended the practice. Campaigns that bring in priests, caterers and community leaders aim at the point where marriages are actually arranged.

UPSC angle: Prelims: PCMA 2006. · Mains: social issues, women and children.

3 Dec 2025
GS1 · Society

Women and Men in India 2024

This publication supplies the numbers that gender budgeting needs.

UPSC angle: Prelims: none.

6 Apr 2025

Learn the concept

ExplainerWomen Empowerment in India: Meaning, Constitutional Provisions, Laws, Schemes, Key Data, Women’s Reservation Act and Challenges (UPSC Notes + PYQs)ExplainerSelf-Help Groups in India: Meaning, SHG-Bank Linkage, DAY-NRLM, Kudumbashree, Lakhpati Didi and Challenges (UPSC Notes + PYQs)

Question text as printed in the official UPSC question paper: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/QP-CSM-23-GENERAL-STUDIES-PAPER-IV-180923.pdf The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.