DOCSLIB.ORG

Inequality in India: Life Chances and Caste Matters

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Inequality in India: Life Chances and Caste Matters Inequality in India: Life Chances and Caste Matters Omkar Joshi1 Abstract: The question of inequality, its determinants and the consequences of inequality has been one of the central areas of research in developmental economics and sociology. There are hardly any sociological studies looking at the question of income inequality within the developing country context and those who study this question in a developing country context, study it from the macro perspective of global inequality and world systems approach. This paper is a contribution in the area of inequality in a developing country context. Using a large-scale nationally representative household survey- India Human Development Survey (IHDS)- for 2004-05 and 2011-12, I look at the extent of inequality with respect to caste in India. I find that over a period, inequality has risen marginally. However, between-caste inequality is going down and within-caste inequality is rising. Keywords: Inequality, Caste, India 1 Doctoral Student, Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park. Email: [email protected]. I thank Prof Andres Villarreal, Prof Wei-hsin Yu for their valuable feedback. This paper has also benefited from the useful discussions that I had with Prof Reeve Vanneman and Prof Sonalde Desai. 1 Inequality in India: Life Chances and Caste Matters Omkar Joshi 1. Introduction The question of inequality, its determinants and the consequences of inequality has been one of the central areas of research in developmental economics and sociology. Although a large body of literature theorizes and reviews various type of disparities viz. disparities in health, education, economic inequality as reflected in disparities of income has received a good deal of attention in the literature, early on from economics and lately in sociology as well. Within economics, the question of inequality has been studied in the context of economic growth. After Kuznets’s (1955) seminal paper on the relationship between economic growth and inequality, many studies have been carried out to empirically test the so called inverted U- hypothesis, which simply put, states that inequality first increases with the growth and then declines subsequently (Williamson 1985; Lindert 1986; Anand and Kanbur 1993; Deninger and Squire 1996). However, most of these studies have found a mixed evidence in support of Kuznets hypothesis. Despite this inconclusive evidence, the interest in analyzing inequality continues to grow. Partly this is because, as Ravallion (2014) shows, the within- country inequality has been growing for the developing countries in last two decades. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms driving the inequality has become an important tool to understand and guide the development effort. In the sociological literature, the question of income inequality had received less attention earlier. Morris and Western (1999) remarked that ‘sociologists had been strangely and remarkably silent’ on the subject of income inequality even though stratification and inequality were among the few undisputed core areas in the field of sociology. In recent decades, though, research interest in income inequality has increased (McCall and Percheski 2010). However, this increased attention towards the question of income inequality is still largely about studying income inequality within the USA and European countries. When one tries to find the sociological analyses of income inequality in the low-income and developing countries, the silence of sociologists becomes almost deafening (Guidetti and Rehbein 2014). There are hardly any sociological studies looking at the question of income inequality within the developing country context and those who study this question in a developing country context, study it from the macro perspective of global inequality and world systems approach. Given the fact that the developing countries face the dual and simultaneous challenge of pursuing high economic growth while trying to make that growth inclusive and equitable, studying income inequality within a developing country context becomes crucial. Additionally, the problem of inequality is compounded for a developing country due to prevailing regional imbalances and strong presence of stratification systems of gender, race, 2 and other group characteristics. Such stratification systems may then become the basis for perpetuating already present and growing disparities between groups. This paper is a contribution in the area of inequality in a developing country context. I look at the question about the extent of income inequality India. I then look at what has happened to inequality between and within different caste groups in India using a large nationally representative data set from India Human Development Survey (IHDS).2 Caste in India remains one of the major axis of stratification and analyzing income inequality for different caste groups can have important theoretical and practical implications. The remaining paper is organized as follows: the second section lays down the theoretical framework for studying income inequality; the third section gives a brief description of caste system in India and drivers of inequality; the subsequent section talk about the research question; I then discuss the data and methodology in the fifth section; sixth section presents the results and discussion; the final section then gives the discussion and conclusion. 2. Theoretical Approaches to Inequality There is a historical legacy in the sociological literature to study inequality. Primarily, three sociological approaches to inequality can be called upon to throw light at the origin and nature of inequality in society. First is the well- known Marxian structural framework analysis based on the ‘conflict theory’ of classes. Very briefly, the main argument of the Marxist school is that, the different social groups (read classes) have unequal access to resources. This unequal distribution of resources is the reason behind conflict and opposition between those who have control over the capital (bourgeoisie) and those who can only sell their labour (proletariat). Thus, social structure and division of labour became the two pillars of Marxian thought which can be utilized to look at why and how inequality originates. Max Weber critiqued and furthered this structural school of thought by adding the nuances of ‘status’. He argued that social structure is a complex multidimensional phenomenon. There is a class of people in the society which are neither capitalists nor proletariat. Weber did not reject Marx’s ideas on class analysis, but expanded them. He put forth that the class position is not determined just on the basis of relation to means of production. There are other factors like ‘status’ and ‘power’ which affect class relations and positions. Moreover, Weber linked the concept of status with ‘life chances’ suggesting that status is not entirely achieved, is also influenced by the ascribed characteristics such as race, gender. The opportunities of an individual are pre-conditioned by his ascriptive characteristics which partly, he inherits from his parents, and partly, because due to prevalent external socio- economic situations. Thus, the Weberian approach hints at the role played by one’s ascriptive characteristics in determining his/her life chances (Breen 2001). Functionalism is another dominant school of thought in sociological literature, courtesy Durkheim, and Parsons. This school regards inequality to be necessary for maintaining the 2 I also conduct the analysis using consumption measures of inequality for robustness check. 3 social order and integrity. Davis and Moore (1945) explain that, “Social inequality is….an unconsciously evolved device by which societies ensure that the most important positions are conscientiously filled by the most qualified persons”. So, inequality according to functionalists is not only inevitable but it is beneficial, too. All these above classical schools take more or less a structural view of inequality. Arguing against these structuralist traditions, the ‘Modernization Theory’ regards that as societies develop socioeconomic achievements become less tied to social background and other ascribed characteristics (Blau and Duncan 1967; DiPrete and Grusky 1990). Industrialization and post-industrialization processes in the society lead to decline of the community and family functions and give more emphasis to individualism. Education becomes an important vehicle to achieve higher rank in the society. Progressively societies become urbanized. Government policies become welfare-oriented trying to correct the inequities in access of resources and promoting investment in human capital (Beller and Hout 2006; Paterson and Iannelli 2007). Thus, modernization theory propounds that the above-mentioned processes act in such a way as to counter the reproduction of socio- economic inequalities. Thus, mainly one can consider two theoretical propositions regarding inequality. The Weberian line of thought uses ascribed characteristics such as race, gender etc. to explain the persistence and growth of inequalities. In the Weberian world, accident of birth matters more for an individual and it decides his/her life chances. Despite the mitigating factors such as education, the accumulated disadvantage of the gender or race or such other group characteristic trumps. For example, a person who is born in a poor black family in United States will have a very different set of constraints over his life-course as far
Load more

Recommended publications
  • CASTE SYSTEM in INDIA Iwaiter of Hibrarp & Information ^Titntt
    CASTE SYSTEM IN INDIA A SELECT ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of iWaiter of Hibrarp & information ^titntt 1994-95 BY AMEENA KHATOON Roll No. 94 LSM • 09 Enroiament No. V • 6409 UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF Mr. Shabahat Husaln (Chairman) DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 1995 T: 2 8 K:'^ 1996 DS2675 d^ r1^ . 0-^' =^ Uo ulna J/ f —> ^^^^^^^^K CONTENTS^, • • • Acknowledgement 1 -11 • • • • Scope and Methodology III - VI Introduction 1-ls List of Subject Heading . 7i- B$' Annotated Bibliography 87 -^^^ Author Index .zm - 243 Title Index X4^-Z^t L —i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincere and earnest thanks to my teacher and supervisor Mr. Shabahat Husain (Chairman), who inspite of his many pre Qoccupat ions spared his precious time to guide and inspire me at each and every step, during the course of this investigation. His deep critical understanding of the problem helped me in compiling this bibliography. I am highly indebted to eminent teacher Mr. Hasan Zamarrud, Reader, Department of Library & Information Science, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh for the encourage Cment that I have always received from hijft* during the period I have ben associated with the department of Library Science. I am also highly grateful to the respect teachers of my department professor, Mohammadd Sabir Husain, Ex-Chairman, S. Mustafa Zaidi, Reader, Mr. M.A.K. Khan, Ex-Reader, Department of Library & Information Science, A.M.U., Aligarh. I also want to acknowledge Messrs. Mohd Aslam, Asif Farid, Jamal Ahmad Siddiqui, who extended their 11 full Co-operation, whenever I needed.
    [Show full text]
  • Untouchability in India: a Reading List
    ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846 Untouchability in India: A Reading List EPW ENGAGE Although constitutionally banned, untouchability is still practised in both rural and urban India, by upper castes and lower castes. But how was the untouchability question answered in colonial India? Did attitudes change during the fight for independence? And despite the ban, why is the practice still prevalent in India today? The caste system in India involves “rank and gradation,” Sukhadeo Thorat explains, which make “the rights and privileges of higher castes, become the disabilities of the lower castes, particularly the untouchables.” According to Amit Thorat and Omkar Joshi, being India’s “quintessential social and individual identifier,” caste receives a lot of scholarship focusing on its creation, evolution and manifestation. For instance, over the years, it has been discussed and debated whether caste originated in India or was introduced to India by “invaders.” Regarding the evolution of caste, when answering the “untouchability question,” Gopal Guru, in his review of the book, Untouchability in Rural India, writes that, “…there are scholars who obliquely suggest that caste is a rumour and untouchability has become irrelevant in India.” Guru argues that those who deny the existence of caste and those who believe that a practice like untouchability exists only in a “mild form” are either “guilty” or “embarrassed” of the very existence of caste and untouchability. The manifestation of caste is based on the notion of purity which goes beyond mere physical contact and is applied to a larger set of social norms. Thorat and Joshi note that “the notions of ‘purity and pollution’ are ideas that, despite the spread of education and the advent of ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846 modern lifestyles, tend to stick and prey on our religious and social insecurities.” This reading list looks at the manifestation of caste, particularly in the form of the practice of untouchability.
    [Show full text]
  • The Caste System
    THE CASTE SYSTEM DR. DINESH VYAS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPT. OF SOCIOLOGY MAHATMA GANDHI CENTRAL UNIVERSITY, BIHAR DEFINITION MAZUMDAR & MADAN – 'CASTE IS A CLOSED CLASS’ CHARLES COOLE – "WHEN A CLASS IS SOMEWHAT STRICTLY HEREDITARY, WE MAY CALL IT A CASTE.” GHURAY – 'CASTE IS THE BRAHMIN CHILD OF THE INDO-ARJUN CULTURE, CRADLED IN THE GANGES & YAMUNA & THEN TRANSFERRED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY'. WHAT IS THE CASTE SYSTEM? • INDIAN SOCIETY DEVELOPED INTO A COMPLEX SYSTEM BASED ON CLASS AND CASTE • CASTE IS BASED ON THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE SEPARATE KINDS OF HUMANS • HIGHER-CASTE PEOPLE CONSIDER THEMSELVES PURER (CLOSER TO MOKSHA) THAN LOWER- CASTE PEOPLE. • THE FOUR VARNA —BRAHMAN, KSHATRIYA, VAISHYA, AND SUDRA—ARE THE CLASSICAL FOUR DIVISIONS OF HINDU SOCIETY. IN PRACTICE, HOWEVER, THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MANY SUBDIVISIONS (J'ATIS) OF THESE CASTES. • THERE ARE FIVE DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THE INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM:- BRAHMAN, KSHATRIYA, VAISHYA, SHRUJRA, AND, HARIJANS. BENEFIT OF THE CASTE SYSTEM: • EACH CASTE HAS AN OCCUPATION(S) AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE • JAJMAN—GIVES GIFT (LANDLORD) • KAMIN—GIVES SERVICE TO THE LANDHOLDER (LOWER CASTES) CASTE SYSTEM IS A KINSHIP SYSTEM; • A CASTE (VARNA) IS AN INTERMARRYING GROUP • KINSHIP; HEREDITARY MEMBERSHIP • A CASTE EATS TOGETHER • A HIGH-CASTE BRAHMIN DOES NOT EAT WITH SOMEONE OF A LOWER CASTE; DIFFERENT DIETS FOR DIFFERENT CASTES • DIVIDED BY OCCUPATION: PRIEST, WARRIOR, MERCHANT, PEASANT LEGAL STATUS, RIGHTS BASED ON CASTE MEMBERSHIP ORIGINS OF THE CASTE SYSTEM IN INDIA • NO COMMONLY APPROVED ORIGIN/HISTORY THAT EXPLAINS THE FORMATION OF INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM. • COMMON BELIEF: THE CASTE SYSTEM WAS FORMED DURING THE PERIOD OF MIGRATION OF INDO-ARYANS TO THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT.
    [Show full text]
  • Is There a Caste System in India? Abraham V
    Bridgewater Review Volume 2 | Issue 3 Article 7 Jul-1984 Is There A Caste System In India? Abraham V. Thomas Bridgewater State College Recommended Citation Thomas, Abraham V. (1984). Is There A Caste System In India?. Bridgewater Review, 2(3), 8-11. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol2/iss3/7 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. I) THERE ACft)TE )Y)TEM IN INDIA ?• A Personal and u. S. S. R. Sociological CHI NA Appraisal by Abraham Thomas American news media as well as American textbooks, both college and secondary schools, present India as a unique society because it practices the caste system, which is then described in terms of its presumed traditional characteristics. Americans thus learn to picture the Indian society as extremely static and assume that the caste system still continues in its traditional form. The fact is that even in traditional times, the caste BOMBAY system never existed as it was theoretically supposed to operate. In modern India, the caste system exists, but not as westerners generally conceive of it. ARABIAN SEA Having lived in the United States for more than two decades (and being a naturalized BAY OF BENGAL U.S. citizen), I have observed close parallels between the caste system in India and racial relations in the United States, in both the traditional period and the modern era. Once divested of its exotic names and descriptions, the caste system is nothing more or less than any system of social inequality involving changing patterns of domination, exploitation and rebellion, the INDIAN OCEAN likes of which are found the world over.
    [Show full text]
  • Current Caste System in India
    Vol-3 Issue-6 2017 IJARIIE-ISSN(O)-2395-4396 CURRENT CASTE SYSTEM IN INDIA L. NAGARAJ M. A. (sociology), B. Ed., M. C. J., Department of Sociology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana State ABSTRACT This present paper explores the current caste system influence the religion, political, economical and social. It influences based on our classification of caste. It is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a lifestyle which often includes an occupation, status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion. The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation, the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms The Indian society is characterized by the caste system, agrarian class structure, urbanization, multiplicity of religions, a variety of regional cultures, joint family, spiritual outlook and superstition, and resistance to change in tradition. India is a country of unity in diversity. However, modernization is evident and social transformation has brought in its wake, problems and conflicts – features of the present day Indian society. Keywords: Caste System, Social stratification, and religion. INTRODUCTION Current Caste System has become very rigid and inflexible in India with the result that it has converted itself into casteism. It is this rigidity in current casteism system, which resulted in untouchability and superiority complex and hierarchy. It checked mobility in society and promoted caste conflicts for establishing supremacy. Casteism is now quite visible and very much in operation in our social, economic and political life.
    [Show full text]
  • Laughing About Caste an Analysis of How Caste Considerations Find Representation in the Genre of English Stand- up Comedy on the Internet in India
    Connections: A Journal of Language, Media and Culture Laughing About Caste An analysis of how caste considerations find representation in the genre of English stand- up comedy on the internet in India Shreyashi Ganguly1 1 Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The literature on humour in India has largely evaded the question of how humour intersects with caste stratification. Not much has been written about humour’s potential to discriminate against certain caste groups of the lower social order. Similarly, the traditional media in India has been silent about the issue of caste following which, social media has emerged as the ‘counter publics’ where caste identity can be collectively and freely expressed. Taking the now flourishing brand of English stand-up comedy on the Internet in India as an entry point, this study investigates if the symbolic articulation of caste identities is at all made possible in this genre. Using a combination of discourse analysis and social media analysis, to examine the jokes produced in stand-up shows, in this paper I try to gauge how frequently, and in what ways, caste finds mention in these performances on the Internet. I find that caste identity, and the associated discrimination, are hardly evoked in the comedians’ discourse. And when spoken about, they are often done so in a disparaging light. I conclude this paper by illuminating the ways in which this disparaging humour bolsters caste discrimination, sustains stereotypes and, in the process, conditions the normalized exclusion of lower-caste groupings from the public sphere.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Does Caste Matter When Doing Business in India? Socio-Legal And
    Does Caste Matter When Doing Business in India? Socio-Legal and Economic Perspectives Vidu Badigannavar Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET UK Email: [email protected] John Kelly Department of Management Birkbeck, University of London Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX UK Email: [email protected] & Manik Kumar Centre for Entrepreneurship Development National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Email: [email protected] Academy of International Business (AIB) Conference 2020 Miami, Florida, USA. July 2-6, 2020. 1 Abstract: Caste-based discrimination in India is associated with human trafficking, slavery and child labour in various sectors of the economy. This paper explores the implications of caste-based discrimination for multinational corporations operating in India through sub-contractors and supply chains in the light of extra-territorial antislavery and supply chain transparency laws passed in the USA, UK, France and Australia. We find that there are some de jure effects of these extra-territorial laws in combating bonded labour and child labour in India. Besides the socio-legal case, we also explore whether there is a sound business case for global corporations to engage with enterprises owned by people from the lower castes; officially designated as scheduled castes and tribes (SC/STs). Our findings indicate that despite social disadvantage, SC/ST owned enterprises have in recent years fared well on key economic indicators and offer good business prospects for global corporations to engage with them. We discuss our findings in the context of the role of the state, trade unions and industry association of SC/STentrepreneurs.
    [Show full text]
  • History of the Indian Caste System and Its Impact on India Today
    HISTORY OF THE INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON INDIA TODAY By Manali S. Deshpande Advised by Dr. Harold Kerbo SOCS 461, 462 Senior Project Social Sciences Department College of Liberal Arts CALIFORNIA POLYTHECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY, San Luis Obispo Fall, 2010 Table of Contents I. Research Proposal II. Annotated Bibliography III. Outline IV. Final Paper i. Introduction ii. Caste Structure and Characteristics iii. Origins and History iv. Religion, Culture, and Caste v. Movements and Political Policies against Caste vi. Modern India vii. Conclusion V. Bibliography Research Proposal The Indian Caste System is historically one of the main dimensions where people in India are socially differentiated through class, religion, region, tribe, gender, and language. Although this or other forms of differentiation exist in all human societies, it becomes a problem when one or more of these dimensions overlap each other and become the sole basis of systematic ranking and unequal access to valued resources like wealth, income, power and prestige. The Indian Caste System is considered a closed system of stratification, which means that a person’s social status is obligated to which caste they were born into. There are limits on interaction and behavior with people from another social status. This paper will be exploring the various aspects of the Indian caste system and its effects on India today. The caste system is a classification of people into four hierarchically ranked castes called varnas. They are classified according to occupation and determine access to wealth, power, and privilege. The Brahmans, usually priests and scholars, are at the top. Next are the Kshatriyas, or political rulers and soldiers.
    [Show full text]
  • CASTE DISCRIMINATION: a Global Concern
    CASTE DISCRIMINATION: A Global Concern A Report by Human Rights Watch for the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Durban, South Africa, September 2001. I. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................2 II. CASTE AND THE WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE ................................................................................................3 III. RECOMMENDATIONS .....................................................................................................................................4 IV. BACKGROUND..................................................................................................................................................5 —Untouchability“ and Segregation..........................................................................................................................5 Earthquake in Gujarat: Caste and its Fault-Lines...............................................................................................6 Caste and Marriage...............................................................................................................................................11 Caste and Labor....................................................................................................................................................12 Debt Bondage and
    [Show full text]
  • Reading Comprehension-Caste System in India Instructions- Read the Story
    Name______________________________________________Date________________________Period___ Reading Comprehension-Caste System in India Instructions- Read the story. Then, complete the activities. Be sure to highlight or underline where you find each answer. 1 About 3,600 years ago, a group of cattle herders from Central Asia settled into India. This group of people, called the Aryans, brought with them their beliefs, customs, and writing system (Sanskrit). They introduced a rigid caste structure that divided people into four classes. 2 Under this setup, Brahmins or priests made up the highest caste. They held a tremendous amount of power over everybody else. They were the only ones who could both study and teach the holy texts, known as the Vedas. They were also the only ones who could perform sacrifices and other religious rites. Because of their authority, people of other castes often gave them generous donations. By giving Brahmins (also spelled as Brahmans) valuable goods, people of other castes believed that they would be rewarded in their next life. 3 Next to the Brahmin class was the Kshatriya (pronounced "shuh-TREE-uh") class. It consisted of warriors and rulers. Kshatriyas' main duties were to govern and defend the country. Though they could learn the Vedas as Brahmins did, they could not teach the holy texts. As Kshatriyas were responsible for the national defense, they underwent extensive military training. They were the experts in archery, swordsmanship, and hand-to-hand combat. 4 The Aryans categorized farmers and merchants as their society's third caste, called the Vaishya (pronounced "VYSH-yuh"). Vaishyas were expected to tend cattle, to farm, or to trade.
    [Show full text]
  • Low Caste in India (Untouchables)
    South Asian Studies A Research Journal of South Asian Studies Vol. 29, No.1, January – July 2014, pp. 7-21 Low Caste in India (Untouchables) Umbreen Javaid University of the Punjab. Lahore. Abdul Majid University of the Punjab, Lahore. Saadat Faruq Zahid Govt. Degree College.Kasur. Abstract Historically Dalits have the lowest social status in Indian society. They were generally segregated and banned form participation in Hindu social life. This problem is the product of the caste system which is deep rooted in society. The Indian government has adopted measures to improve their conditions, only a small number of Dalits are able to make use of these opportunities. They face difficulties in rural areas where traditions are strong. The Dalit issue poses different and multifaceted problems to Indian state and society. Hindu social system relegates social status to the lowest level of the Hindu society. Some Dalits have acquired reasonable positions in Indian society through hard work and having education or by raising their economic status. However, they do not enjoy higher political status. The mind set of Indian people does not accept them equal to the high caste Hindus even if the Dalits get high education and good jobs. Key words: Dalits, India, high caste Hindus, caste system, Ambedkar. Introduction Higher castes intentionally avoid close contact with the Dalit. Dalit status has often been historically associated with occupations regarded as ritually impure involving leather work, butchering, sewers, latrines, removing of rubbish and animal carcasses Dalit work as manual labors cleaning streets. Dalit were commonly segregated and banned from full participation in Hindu social life.
    [Show full text]
  • Caste System of India
    I Caste System of India What Is a Caste? Have you ever heard of the American Dream? It refers to the idea that anyone can become anything in the land of opportunity-that you can be born into a poor family but grow up to become a successful business person, a scientist, a professional athlete, or even president. In India, for thousands of years, the opposite was true. If you were born poor, you stayed poor. If your father was a woodworker, you would also be a woodworker. This is how things operate in a caste system. The word caste refers to people who are grouped together based on factors such as wealth, jobs, power, privileges, and sometimes ethnicity. A caste system is very much like a social class structure with one major difference: people can move between social classes but not castes. In other words, someone can be I born in the working class and move to the middle class in a social class i structure. In a caste, there is no such movement, or mobility. The caste a man is I born into determines his place in society. It also indicates the friends the man can have and the type of home in which he can live. As a rule, a man cannot leave the caste he is born into. So, father, son, grandson, and great- grandson would all be in the same caste. A woman is in the caste of her father and then her husband, which would be the same caste. The Hindu Castes of India The castes in India were created as 11_--- part of the Hindu religion and --, consisted of five levels.
    [Show full text]