सामग्री पर जाएं

Caste and Gender Equity in Elite HE Admissions

Elite higher education admissions remain deeply stratified along interlocking axes of caste hierarchy and gender disparity despite statutory affirmative action frameworks. Procedural reservation policies often fail to dismantle pervasive institutional gatekeeping, covert social biases, and multi-layered socio-economic disadvantages. Advancing equitable tertiary access requires moving beyond quota allocation towards structural institutional reforms that integrate comprehensive intersectional equity criteria.

कार्य का लक्ष्य

How do caste and gender intersect to shape systemic access barriers in elite Indian higher education admissions under statutory affirmative action policies?

कार्यप्रणाली

Comparative qualitative synthesis of national affirmative action policies, published higher education governance literature, and statutory equity frameworks.

वैज्ञानिक नवीनता

Integrates an intersectional caste-gender lens into the evaluation of elite university admissions beyond conventional single-axis reservation analyses.

दस्तावेज़ विवरण

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Master's Dissertation

Degree:
Caste and Gender Equity in Elite HE Admissions

Author:

Group

First M. Last

Advisor:

Dr. First Last

City, 2026

Contents

Certificate
Declaration
Abstract
Introduction
2. Conceptualising Intersectional Exclusion in Higher Education
2.1. Constitutional Mandates and Affirmative Action Architecture
2.2. Gendered Dimensions of Caste Stratification
3. Methodological Framework and Evaluative Metrics
3.1. Synthesis Criteria for Higher Education Enrolment Evidence
3.2. Institutional Policy Analysis and Access Barriers
4. Intersectional Gatekeeping in Elite Academic Selection
4.1. Disparities in Quota Implementation and Meritocracy Narratives
4.2. Institutional Climate and Retention across Social Groups
5. Policy Implications and Structural Reform in Elite Admissions
Conclusion
Bibliography

Introduction

Structural stratification within Indian higher education persists as a foundational challenge to equitable democratic participation and socio-economic mobility. Despite long-standing affirmative action mandates and constitutional safeguards designed to address entrenched caste inequalities, elite institutions continue to exhibit deep-seated entry barriers for historically marginalised groups, notably Scheduled Castes and women [4], [7]. The interplay between caste marginalisation and patriarchal hierarchies generates compounding disadvantages that singular policy interventions often fail to alleviate [3].

Existing policy mechanisms primarily emphasise quota-based horizontal inclusion while overlooking institutional cultures, meritocratic framing biases, and psycho-social impediments that inhibit disadvantaged groups during selection processes [5], [6]. Furthermore, societal resistance and pervasive biases within academic spaces exacerbate horizontal educational divides, limiting substantive access even when formal reservation thresholds are legally established [8]. Consequently, equitable representation at the apex of tertiary education remains severely constrained.

This research examines the systemic intersections of caste identity and gender dynamics within the admission frameworks of elite higher education institutions. Grounded in a comparative synthesis of published policy analyses and educational governance literature, the inquiry delineates institutional gatekeeping mechanisms and normative barriers [1], [2]. The analysis articulates actionable institutional reforms necessary to transform procedural reservation systems into robust, intersectionally grounded access models.

5. Policy Implications and Structural Reform in Elite Admissions

The scholarly discourse on tertiary access reveals a profound tension between formal affirmative action mandates and substantive equity in elite admissions. Although constitutional provisions establish seat quotas for marginalized groups, institutional access remains severely stratified across caste and gender lines. Evidence demonstrates that Scheduled Caste students continue to encounter structural inequalities, economic constraints, and persistent institutional prejudices that impede genuine social mobility and academic integration ("Challenges Faced by Scheduled Caste Students in Higher Education in India," 2026). Furthermore, the persistence of caste-based beliefs and social resistance within institutional environments generates hostile climates that compound entry barriers ("Understanding Students’ Attitudes Towards Affirmative Action Policy in Higher Education in India," 2024). In parallel, affirmative action frameworks often neglect the complex schisms between caste hierarchy and gender dynamics, treating social disadvantage through fragmented policy instruments ("Gender, Class, and Caste Schisms in Affirmative Action Policies: The Curious Case of India's Women's Reservation Bill," 2002). A critical research gap exists regarding how elite institutional gatekeeping mechanisms translate unexamined social biases into standardized meritocratic justifications during selection. Existing literature focuses primarily on access deficits or isolated policy instruments rather than evaluating interactive caste-gender matrices in retention and institutional culture. Nonetheless, this synthesis faces analytical limitations. The available empirical scholarship predominantly investigates undergraduate public institutions, leaving private elite universities and specialized postgraduate entrance criteria comparatively under-theorised. Consequently, addressing these institutional blind spots requires moving beyond quota allocation towards structural reforms that dismantle pervasive socio-cultural gatekeeping.

References

  1. Higher Education and Equity and Affirmative Action in India
    Kavita A. Sharma
    DOI लिंक
  2. Social Justice Programs in Higher Education: Affirmative Action in the USA and Reservation System in India
    Anmol Diwan, Aditi Lal
    DOI लिंक
  3. Gender, Class, and Caste Schisms in Affirmative Action Policies: The Curious Case of India's Women's Reservation Bill
    Sakuntala Narasimhan
    DOI लिंक
  4. Challenges Faced by Scheduled Caste Students in Higher Education in India
    Ms. Arti Devi, Prof. Madhurima Verma
  5. Reservation Policy Of India : Is It An Affirmative Action
    Raman Verma
  6. Is Reservation Policy of India an Impediment to Social Justice? A Critical Analysis
    International Journal of Indian Science and Research
  7. Evolution of Reservation System in India: An Overview
    Md. Altamash Imam
  8. Understanding Students’ Attitudes Towards Affirmative Action Policy in Higher Education in India
    Nidhi S. Sabharwal

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