Class In India Research Articles

Tribal Middle Class in India

The article presents a historical overview of the emergence of the tribal middle class in India, and how this history has shaped their social identity, location and participation in the Indian society, polity and economy. It initiates a discussion on the conceptual issues associated with identifying the tribal middle class, given its specific historical origins, growth and diversification through colonialism and in post-colonial India. While the article distinguishes between the old and new tribal middle class, it also attempts to delineate its overarching features, particularly that of reconciling the processes of diversification with the politics of evolving a distinct tribal identity. The article argues that the question of tribal integration is at the core of this endeavour. Therefore, it is important to consider the role and participation of the tribal middle class in shaping the nature and politics of tribal integration in India.

Book review: Satendra Kumar, Popular Democracy and the Politics of Caste: Rise of the Other Backward Classes in India

Satendra Kumar, Popular Democracy and the Politics of Caste: Rise of the Other Backward Classes in India. New Delhi, Routledge India, 2022, xiv + 137 pp., ₹1295 (Hardcover), ISBN 9781032669113. DOI:10.4324/9781003323013

Revisiting class: A feminist political analysis of the Indian Time Use Survey

AbstractThe literature on agrarian change in India has largely employed class categories based upon data on land, assets and occupational status, which collapse women's class relations into those of (mostly male) households heads. In this paper, we interrogate this understanding of class building on the work of Carmen Diana Deere. Employing the first ever national time use survey conducted in India in 2019, we interrogate class as a labour process that intersects with caste and gender. Our analysis of the data using a Marxist‐feminist framework suggests the following. First, there exist intra‐household gendered differences in class locations. This calls to question theoretical frameworks that assign a cohesive class location to all household members that underlie data collection in India and elsewhere. Second, individuals participate in multiple labour processes depending on their caste and gender. Hence, they may be subsumed to capital in varied and sometimes contradictory ways. Finally, we find that both men and women engage in reproductive labour in addition to other forms of labour, which varies by caste categories. This finding further underscores and supports previous research on the importance of an expanded conception of work that includes reproductive labour. In sum, we argue for a more complex understanding of class in India, one that incorporates its caste and gender dimensions.

Professional Women’s Perceptions of Financial Well-Being in a Patrifocal Culture

This qualitative study explored the perception of financial well-being among 30 professional women belonging to the middle to upper class in India through a series of in-depth one-to-one interviews. The major dimensions of financial well-being revealed from the narratives were financial adequacy, financial security, having control over one’s finances, being independent, and having a balance in life. The findings were explained based on psychological theories on human motivation. This study improves the present state of knowledge about the financial well-being of women by providing fresh insights into their perspectives, its key driving factors, and the key issues that are critical to their financial futures. The information can be used to develop effective financial intervention strategies and policies to improve financial well-being that target the specific needs of women in an emerging country context.

Financial Literacy Among the Different Economic Classes in India

This study attempts to investigate the degree of financial literacy among the various economic classes in India, and the ways in which this influences the way in which individuals of different ages make investment decisions. Even though they may reside in the same location, each person has different financial demands. The findings show that investors are making investments in order to predict their demands for the future and to make significant returns. The majority of investors do not participate in the stock market; those that do choose to trade as investors as opposed to hedgers or speculators. While most investors are well-versed in bank deposits, insurance, and real estate, very few are conversant with internet trading. If an investor can get a large return, they will accept a significant risk. Because they are unsure of how to choose a reliable adviser, many investors are still not taking use of financial advisor services. According to the research, strong promotional actions must be implemented in order to raise consumer awareness of the new and existing goods and services that are offered on the market.

Girls’ education in Colonial India: a critique on the trajectory of Savitribai Phule in the twenty-first century India

ABSTRACT Savitribai Phule, the first female school teacher in India, with the support of her husband and mentor, Jyotirao Phule pioneered a pivotal role in educating Indian girls in the nineteen-century Colonial India. Her philosophical underpinnings and activism for the education of the girls and the oppressed classes in India are still relevant and inspiring even today. This article primarily intends to reassess the trajectory of her philosophy, policy reforms and pedagogical practices towards girls’ education in the nineteen-century Colonial India even when the demand for compulsory primary education was not raised in India, in the light of twenty-first century India. Before delving into the whole spectrum of her trajectory, it retraces the British Colonial policies pertaining to the provision of girls’ compulsory schooling in Colonial India against which the missionaries, British philanthropic and Savitribai together with other Indian reformers made a series of efforts towards girls’ education in Colonial India.

K. S. Kalelkar Committee’s Self- Abnegation and the Conundrum of Backward Classes in India

This paper examines the discourse surrounding the concept of backwardness and reservation policies for backward classes in post-independent India. It analyses the provisions related to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Indian Constitution, highlighting their inadequacy in addressing the extent of deprivation and exclusion faced by these groups. The paper also explores the historical evolution of the discourse on backwardness and reservation, including the role of influential figures such as Ambedkar, Shahu Maharaj, and others. Additionally, it discusses the formation of the first Backward Classes Commission, chaired by Kaka Saheb Kalelkar, and examines its recommendations for addressing social and educational backwardness. The findings shed light on the challenges and inconsistencies in the discourse surrounding backwardness and reservation policies in independent India. The contents of this paper are drawn upon from the ICSSR sponsored national research project titled “Status of Reservation Policy: A Study of Higher Educational Institutions in Bihar” (F. No. 02/151/2016-17/RP).

The Triple Tragedy of Ammu in The God of Small Things in the Perspective of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory

In the novel The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roys heroine Ammus short life is surrounded by multiple tragedies. As a divorced woman from a high caste class in India, the significance of Ammus tragic death is not only the literary aesthetic of the novel that serves to accentuate the conflict of the plot, but it is also a powerful political statement embodying the unlimited downward pressure exerted by the powerful class in Indian society. In this paper, the five-order model of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory is categorised into three levels, namely, basic needs, middle needs and high needs, in accordance with the bottom-up order of the pyramid pattern and is combined with the traditional laws and institutions of Indian society embodied in the text to explore the causes of Ammus tragedy. Through analysing Ammus motives and behaviours of human needs, the readers can intuitively understand the opposition between the growing human needs of Indian women and the multiple ruling interests of the powerful class. In the process of pursuing the fulfilment of her human needs, Ammu, unfortunately, touches and even destroys the ruling pattern on which the powerful class relies, which is the main reason for her tragedy.

Can gain motivation induce Indians to adopt electric vehicles? Application of an extended theory of Planned Behavior to map EV adoption intention

With the rising demands for personal vehicles of the growing middle class in India, their increasing quest for comfort and social status, the emissions from road transportation are increasing manifold times. To fulfil the dual need of increasing personal demand as well as lower vehicular emissions, it is important to replace all future vehicle purchase with purchase of electric vehicles (EVs). This study analyses the socio-psychological determinants of the process by which an individual might develop an intention to buy an EV in the near future. Using Structural Equation Modeling and mediation analysis, the interrelationships between the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs along with three additional constructs, ‘‘cost’, ‘herd behavior’, and ‘personal norm’ are analyzed and several direct and indirect pathways in which intentions possibly form in people's mind are outlined. Subjective norms followed by perceived behavioral control emerge as the significant and direct intention formation pathway. Though cost, herd behavior, and personal norms alone do not influence intention formation, these factors mediates the TPB variables in forming intention to adopt EVs. Hence, the current EV promotion policies, primarily focused on subsidies need to be complemented with other attitudinal and norm-based nudges to promote faster EV adoption in India.

Language and Linguistics of the New Middle Class in India: A New Genre in the History of Language Sociology

Language and linguistics of the new Indian middle class builds up a new sociology. This class is varied in compositions in terms of castes, religions, culture and, of course, purchasing capabilities. They are best represented by language this class uses with regard to multifarious sub-systems – social, economic and political. This is a qualitative study. Here, I explain the inferences to the behaviour of this class by carefully observing its use of language and linguistics. This article shows transformation of the middle class in India in the wake of globalization at the behest of language. It highlights as the apolitical aspects of this class as an appetitive one, so the political language of the political parties in mobilizing allegiance of this class. This article also pinpoints to the methods and avenues as to how languages are used by this class using modern communicative technologies to ascertain itself as a social construct.

Mapping soil erodibility over India

Soil erosion is a major environmental problem worldwide, and almost half of India’s total geographical area is susceptible to it. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) has been widely used globally to estimate soil erosion, and the Soil erodibility factor, denoted by the K-factor, is an essential component of RUSLE. Although previous studies have assessed soil erodibility in India, they have been limited to small scales such as watersheds or districts. A national-scale assessment of soil erodibility doesn’t exist and is critical to developing a systematic understanding of soil erosion over India. In this study, we estimated soil erodibility factors over India using RUSLE Nomograph and Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model approaches at a high resolution of 250 m. Our results showed that the K-factor estimated using the Nomograph approach was more accurate than the observed soil erodibility factors. Additionally, we developed erodibility indices such as CR (Clay Ratio), MCR (Modified Clay Ratio), and CLOM (Critical Level of Organic Matter) to assess their sensitivity with respect to soil erodibility factors. Finally, we created a susceptibility to erosion map over India using CLOM index classification. The national average soil erodibility factor for India is estimated to be 0.028 t-ha-h/ha/MJ/mm. Histosols soil type is the least susceptible to erosion, while the Xerosols soil type is most susceptible among the prevalent soil classes in India. This is the first national-scale mapping of soil erodibility over India, providing an essential asset for soil conservation and erosion management planning by experts.

Proposed Framework for Enhancing the Tax Payment System for the Salary - Earning Class in India

Proposed Framework for Enhancing the Tax Payment System for the Salary - Earning Class in India

The Rise of Indian Mall Culture and The Shopping Habits of the Middle Class

This paper looks at the rise of mall culture in India and how it has changed the shopping habits of people in the middle class. India's shopping scene has changed a lot in the last few decades, especially since modern shopping malls have opened in most of the country's big cities. These stores have become places where people go to relax, have fun, and shop. They meet the changing needs and wants of the growing middle class. The goal of this study is to find out what makes malls so famous and how consumer behavior in this age group is changing over time. The study is based on a thorough review of the existing literature and surveys and interviews with middle-class shoppers in urban areas to get first-hand information. The research shows that the Indian middle class has embraced the mall culture for many reasons, such as the convenience of being able to buy everything in one place, the ability to buy foreign brands, better infrastructure, and better shopping experiences. Malls have a lot to offer, from clothing and electronics to food and leisure. They have everything a customer could want under one roof. The study also shows some interesting shopping habits and tastes of people in the middle class. It looks at how income levels, changes in living, and exposure to global trends affect what people buy. The research shows how quality, brand awareness, and the move from traditional markets to organized retail spaces are becoming more important. The study also talks about how social media, e-commerce, and digital marketing affect how people in the middle class shop and what they decide to buy. Understanding how the middle class in India's shopping habits are changing and how mall culture is growing is important for marketers, retailers, and lawmakers. It gives businesses useful information about what customers want, so they can change their tactics and products to meet those needs. The results also shed light on the socioeconomic changes, lifestyle changes, and goals of India's middle class. This helps us learn more about how India's retail landscape is changing.

Class structuration, reproduction, and the politics of labour in India

The statement discusses Jonathan Parry’s recent monograph, Classes of Labour, and in particular his “labour aristocracy” thesis of the most privileged sections of India’s workforces that had been widely accepted in the social sciences in the 1970s but that had later been discarded. It is argued that the ethnography of an industrial town in Central India he presents in the monograph convincingly demonstrates that the relative privileges of public-sector employment have fostered the bifurcation of the town’s industrial workers into two major distinct classes with different life chances, different attitudes to caste, and with often antagonistic political interests. Classes of Labour also demonstrates that Giddens’ concept of “class structuration” offers a suitable theoretical grounding for identifying the major fault lines and driving forces of class formation in his case study but also for a controlled comparison between case studies across India and beyond. This statement moreover argues that this approach conceives of class as an historical, dynamic object, and it asks whether the current crises of class reproduction in the times of jobless growth might provoke a major change in the structuration of classes in India.

How Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors Affect Health Literacy? Assessment of health literacy level in different socioeconomic classes in India

Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the impact of socioeconomic status based on gender, age group, education, and income level of the people on the level of health literacy. Design and setting: The study uses the primary data of 380 respondents belonging to varied socio-economic classes. It is a cross-sectional study. Results: The study shows that the level of health literacy is significantly affected by the educational and income level of the respondents. Health literacy is also uniquely affected by age groups. Few of the nine parameters of health literacy are affected positively by rising age groups and few are affected negatively by rising age-group. The study finds that health literacy is not affected by gender differences. Conclusion: Health literacy plays a vital role in building the health status of people and helping the effective utilization of healthcare services. It is found that level of health literacy is affected by the socio-economic status of the people. It is the need of the hour to build health literacy in the weaker section of society with the help of policy tools.

Effectiveness of health education on behaviour on diabetic care among rural adult diabetic patients -- a pilot analysis

Diabetes claims the lives of about one million Indians each year. According to the Indian Heart Association, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in India would rise the most by 2030. The increasing frequency is linked to a combination of genetic vulnerability and the growing middle class in India's adoption of a high-calorie, low-activity lifestyle. Pretest, patients had 7.88behaviour score and in posttest they had 12.00behaviour score, like a result, the average score difference is4.12, difference is huge and it is statistically significant behaviour gain score, The student's paired 't'test was used to determine statistical significance. The relationship between post-test behaviour and patient demographic characteristics. Above primary level educated patients and>10 years duration of illness patients are having more favorable behavior score than others. It was confirmed using chi square test and Yates corrected chi square test. This study concludes by proving the effectiveness of health education on behaviour on diabetic care among diabetic patients

Oppression of the Subaltern: A Depiction by Mulkraj Anand in his Untouchable

Anand is largely remembered for his depictions of the oppressed class in India. He had got an international acclaim because of his perceptive insight into the lives of the oppressed class in India. Untouchable ,being his first novel that was published in 1935,is well known for his analysis of the exploitation and subservient, pathetic conditions of the lower class people that he depicts through a character like Bhaka .though the novel presents incidents that happened in a day in the protagonist’s life,by large it speaks about the oppression of the lower castes by the upper castes that was very much visible in the colonial as well as the postcolonial India .the novel mainly focuses on the subaltern that was and also is the most burning issue in the Indian subcontinent. The novel displays the pretentions, snobbery and flamboyance gestures of the upper class against the lower classes.

Hypertension in India: Trends in Wealth-related Inequalities from the National Family Health Surveys.

India depicts a very high prevalence of hypertension. We need to learn more about the effect of wealth-related disparities on the prevalence of hypertension. The primary objective of this study was to assess temporal changes in the epidemiology of hypertension and associated wealth-related disparities among adults using two waves of nationally representative datasets from India. We did a secondary data analysis of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) rounds 4 and 5. We included information from the two rounds from 699,686 and 108,791 males and 92,804 and 677,803 females. Weighted analysis and multivariate binomial regression were used to depict the prevalence and predictors of hypertension. Inequalities were estimated using the concentration index (CI) and concentration curves. The weighted prevalence of hypertension among males increased from 14.6% to 16.7% among males, and from 8.8% to 9.9% among females, between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. Prehypertension rose from 43.3% to 48.3% for males, and females, from 30.2% to 36.2% between the NFHS rounds. Overall, the CI among the males (0.078 and 0.050) and females (0.102 and 0.059) decreased from rounds 4 to 5, depicting a decrease in pro-poor wealth-related inequalities in hypertension prevalence in India. To conclude, the current analysis depicts that inequalities due to which hypertension was more prevalent in the wealthier classes in India are slowly disappearing. Therefore, we need to target the already exhausted poor patients with limited access to health-care resources to prevent them from further shifting beyond the line of poverty before these differences narrow down further.

Employees’ Satisfaction and Attitude towards Work-Life Balance: A Study on Married Female Employees in Insurance Sector Gurugram District

Due to the accelerated speed of urbanization and industrialization, Indian households are witnessing fast changes. Women from all social classes in India have taken up paid jobs. Indian women's access to educational possibilities is far more now than it was decades ago, particularly in urban areas. This has opened up new perspectives, raised awareness, and increased personal growth objectives. This, combined with financial pressure, has played a significant role in impacting women's decision to work. Economic necessity has been cited as the key reason for working in most investigations of female employees in India. Work and home life are inextricably linked and intertwined. This paper identifies that for female employees in the insurance sector spending more time in the office, dealing with clients, and job constraints can have a negative impact on their personal life, making it difficult to even accomplish household duties. Personal life, on the other hand, might be difficult if the female employees have a child or ageing parents, financial troubles, or troubles in the life of a close relative. It can cause work absenteeism, tension, and a lack of focus at work. When the burdens, commitments, and expectations of work and family roles become irreconcilable, work-personal life conflict arises.

Sociological dimensions of existence: Analysis of Arvind Adiga’s fiction

Arvind Adiga is a versatile writer of post-colonial Indian English Literature and the winner of Man Booker Prize in 2008.As a journalist Adiga observed Indian society and existence in the society at close quarters. He has been praised worldwide for his depiction of Indian novels. The White Tiger (2008), Between the Assassinations (2008), Last Man in Tower (2011), and Selection Day (2016). The writings of Adiga are heart touching to his readers. The study of his novels reflect the life of middle class in India with contrast to the Indian economy that is increasing day by day. Millions of Indians live in deteriorating condition and they are living below poverty line. His works reflect that middle class Indians work with the system and take poverty and inequality without being sentimental. Adiga also talks of servants enveloped in darkness and injustice, social evils, customs and illiteracy.