Caste inequality today Caste is an important source of economic inequality because it regulates access to resources of various kinds. For example, in the past, the so-called ‘untouchable’ castes were denied the right to own land, while only the so-called ‘twice born’ castes had the right to education. Although this kind of explicit and formalised inequality based on caste is now outlawed, the effects of centuries of accumulated advantages and disadvantages continue to be felt. Moreover, new kinds of inequalities have also developed.
The relationship between caste and economic status has certainly changed a lot. Today, it is possible to find very rich and very poor people in every caste, whether ‘low’ or ‘high’. This was not true even twenty or thirty years ago – it was very rare indeed to find rich people among the ‘lowest’ castes. However, as this evidence from the National Sample Survey shows, caste continues to be very strongly linked to economic status in many important ways: The average economic status (measured by criteria like monthly consumption expenditure) of caste groups still follows the old hierarchy – the ‘upper’ castes are best off, the Dalits and Adivasis are worst off, and the backward classes are in between.
Although every caste has some poor members, the proportion living in extreme poverty (below the official ‘poverty line’) is much higher for the lowest castes and much lower for the upper castes, with the backward classes once again in between. Although every caste has some members who are rich, the upper castes are heavily over-represented among the rich while the lower castes are severely under-represented. Percentage of population living below the poverty line, –—–— — Caste and Community groups Rural Urban Scheduled Tribes . .
Scheduled Castes . . Other Backward Classes . .
Muslim Upper Castes . . Hindu Upper Castes . .
Christian Upper Castes . . Sikh Upper Castes . .
Other Upper Castes . . All Groups . .
Note: ‘Upper Caste’ here means those who are not from SC, ST, or OBC. Below the poverty line means those who