Discuss critically the concepts of caste, class and gender in India.

  Concept of Class and its Characteristics

The majority of modem societies are divided into classes. Many aspects of ancient 2 stratification, such as the caste system and feudalism found in India, can be found in modem W society. However, as the economy develops, class-based stratification becomes more essential. of

The following are some of the major aspects of the class system:

Class is a Relatively Open Stratification System

Depending on the quantity of opportunities for upward social mobility accessible to its people, & a society is said to be generally open or closed. Equally crucial is the society's attitude regarding A its members’ mobility. An open stratification society is one that provides a vast number of W chances to its members and encourages them to advance in their careers. A closed stratified of society, on the other Land, is one in which the number of options for upward mobility is o, limited and nonnative ideals prevent people from obtaining higher positions. With advancement, of the stratification system becomes more open and goal oriented.

A type of open stratification system is the class system. With his accomplishments, he can advance to a higher class and obtain prestige. There are examples of people who climbed from poverty to become millionaires as a result of their hard work and accomplishments. Individuals like them are valued in modem culture because they serve as role models for others.

Individual intelligence, merit, competence, and success are used to determine social mobility in modern civilizations. Regardless of openness, socioeconomic background, parental position and resources, social networks, and other attributed characteristics all have a part in defining individual motivation, achievement, and the availability of chances in every community. Modem cultures cannot be claimed to be entirely accomplishment oriented and open because these characteristics are beyond the individual's control and cannot be easily manipulated to his benefit. That is why, in comparison to other cultures, we have stated that class-based societies are comparatively open. We'll look at the caste system, which is a somewhat closed system of stratification.

In traditional societies, social hierarchy is established through ascription, whereas in class-based systems, achievement is vital. To putit another way, the difference between traditional and modem social hierarchies resides in the distimction between (status awarded and status attained being) the social stratification's foundations. Traditional social hierarchies are based on assigned states, whereas modem social hierarchies are based on status eamed.

CONCEPT OF CASTE:

Marginalisation, exclusion and exploitation based on class, gender, race and ethnicity have been part of every society including the Indian society. But what is typical of India and Nepal for instance is the caste based exclusion and exploitation. Caste has been one of the most dominant and determining factors not only in social but also in economic and political spheres. According to B R Ambedkar, "caste is a system of graded inequality in which castes arc arranged according to an ascending scale of reverence and descending scale of contempt”. The caste system ascribes positions within the social hierarchy based on birth (ascription), thereby perpetuating inter- generationally upper, lower and out caste positions. The unequal and discriminatory social arrangements deny people of lower castes access to means of production, opportunities of educational and economic advancement. Caste perpetuates itself through its adherence to endogamy and the notion of purity and pollution thereby making it a situation of fait accompli.

The distinguishing feature of the caste system is that those who own the means of production also own the means of symbolic production in order to perpetuate the system. The concept of caste is understood from diverse vantage points, and accordingly its origin and meaning, and its interpretations and justifications differ among scholars and social reformers. While some scholars Justify its relevance by presenting it as a system of consensualvalues i.e. a set of values acceptable to both dominant and the dominated, others underscores its religio-cultural framework while some others see how it closely works with class.

CONCEPT OF GENDER

Gender pervades our lives in every possible way. It is manifested in how we act, behave, what clothes we wear and the nonns and values that we emulate. Gender gets manifested through different kinds of controls on women — on their production, reproduction, sexuality and mobility. Gender is embedded within other social stratifiers that mediate different outcomes for men and women, Women's position in the entertainment and leisure all are implicated in the social construction of masculine and feminine sexuality. Gender inequality in sexual relations between men and women reflect and serve to maintain subordination. Gender intersects class and caste as well as ethnicity and tribe in significant ways. In understanding gender we need to see its relation with each of these since they shape each other.

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