Patterns of Social Inequality and Exclusion

• Individual Inequality: Refers to variations between individuals due to personal attributes like talent, intelligence, or effort (e.g., one person being a faster runner than another).
• Social Inequality: Refers to differences created by the structure of society. It is systematic and structural. It is not about innate ability but about unequal access to resources (wealth, education, power) based on group membership (caste, class, gender).

Social stratification has three key features:

1. Characteristic of Society: It is not simply a reflection of individual differences; it is a system that distributes resources unequally across social categories.
2. Persists over Generations: Inequality is inherited. A child born into a wealthy family has a higher probability of remaining wealthy than a child born into poverty, regardless of talent.
3. Supported by Ideology: It is justified by belief systems (ideologies) that make the inequality seem “natural” or “fair” (e.g., the theory of Karma justifying caste or racism justifying colonial rule).

Prejudice literally means “pre-judgment.” It differs from ordinary opinions in two ways:

• Lack of Evidence: It is an opinion formed without examination of the facts.
• Resistance to Change: Unlike a rational opinion, a prejudice is firmly held and refuses to change even when presented with new evidence that contradicts it. It is often emotional rather than logical.

• Involuntary: It is not practiced by choice (unlike a wealthy person choosing to live in a gated community). The excluded are kept out against their will.
• Structural: It focuses on the systemic denial of resources, rights, and opportunities (like housing, healthcare, or jobs) that are available to the majority.

Traditionally, caste status and economic status were tightly linked. Today, the relationship is changing but remains significant:

• Weakening Link: The rigid link has loosened. One can find rich Dalits and poor Brahmins today due to modern education and democracy.
• Persistence: However, macro-level data still shows a strong correlation. The “Upper Castes” are disproportionately represented in high-income groups, while the Scheduled Castes and Tribes are disproportionately represented among the poor (Below Poverty Line).

Untouchability is an extreme form of caste discrimination that prescribes stringent social sanctions against members of the lowest castes (Dalits).

• Ritual Pollution: It is based on the belief that the touch or even the shadow of a Dalit is “impure” or “polluting” to upper castes.
• Exclusion: It involves exclusion from religious (temples) and social (wells, schools) spaces.
• Humiliation: It involves forced performance of menial and stigmatized tasks, such as manual scavenging (cleaning human waste).

The State has implemented two types of policies:

• Reservation: The most important policy is the reservation of seats in state assemblies, government jobs, and educational institutions for SCs and STs to ensure their representation.
• Protective Legislation: Laws such as the Caste Disabilities Removal Act (1850), the Constitution (Article 17 abolishing Untouchability), and the Prevention of Atrocities Act (1989) which punishes violence and humiliation against Dalits.

• Social Status: Dalits (SCs) were historically treated as “untouchables” and outside the caste system. OBCs were generally considered “low” but were within the caste fold and were not victims of untouchability.
• Economic Status: While Dalits were mostly landless laborers, many OBC castes are landowning cultivators and have political dominance in rural areas (e.g., Yadavs, Jats).
• Deprivation: OBCs are defined as “socially and educationally backward,” whereas SCs suffered from extreme ritual discrimination.

• Displacement: Adivasis are disproportionately affected by displacement due to large dams, factories, and mining projects, as their traditional lands are rich in resources.
• Loss of Livelihood: The loss of access to forests (due to forest laws) has destroyed their traditional livelihood of gathering and hunting.
• Migration: Many are forced to migrate to cities as low-wage laborers.
• Cultural Erosion: The pressure to assimilate into mainstream Hindu society threatens their distinct language and culture.

• 19th Century (Reform Era): Focused on social evils like Sati, child marriage, and the ban on widow remarriage.
• Early 20th Century (National Movement): Focused on women’s education and political participation in the freedom struggle.
• Post-Independence (1970s onwards):
  • Violence: Campaigns against dowry deaths, rape, and domestic violence.
  • Legal Rights: Demands for equal property rights and representation in politics.
  • Environment: Movements like Chipko where women played a leading role.

Sociologists argue for the “Social Model of Disability”:

• Social Barriers: A person is disabled not just by their impairment (e.g., inability to walk) but by the way society is built. If a building has only stairs and no ramps, it is the building that disables the person in a wheelchair.
• Attitude: Social stigma, pity, and labeling (“the disabled”) exclude people from mainstream participation more than their physical condition does.
• Conclusion: Therefore, disability is a result of the relationship between the individual and a society that fails to accommodate them.