Intersectional Disparities of Caste and Gender in Human Capital and Labour Market Outcomes in India

sefali verma, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Kailash Chandra Das, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

This study examines the intersectional disparities of caste and gender in human capital accumulation and labour market outcomes in India. Caste and gender inequalities have been studied widely in various domains, but their interaction creates unique challenges for marginalized groups, particularly women from lower castes. Using data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (2022-23) this research analyses how caste and gender identities jointly creates disparities in educational attainment, skill development, and labour force participation. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis along with decomposition technique would be used to explore the intersectional effect of caste and gender identity on human capital accumulation and labour market outcomes. Preliminary results indicate the compounded disadvantage faced by lower-caste women compared to upper-caste men and women. The study reveals that marginalize women’s human capital accumulation (education& skill) is lower compared to other women. Although compared to other women high percentage of women are working, but due to low human capital mostly in informal sector. The study underscores the importance of adopting an intersectional framework when addressing labour market inequalities and call for targeted policies that simultaneously address caste and gender inequities in education and labour market participation to foster inclusive economic growth and social equity.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Human Capital, Education, and Work, Decomposition analysis

See extended abstract.