AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 1

Affirmative Action in India: The Long-Term Effects for Dalit Students and Workers.

Pranathi Charasala

Glenelg High School

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 2
Abstract

Affirmative Action (AA) is criticized for helping the historically disadvantaged in India,

as well as the U.S, because it is not seen as a merit-based system. This paper reviews the

contributions AA has made to the Dalit community, people who have been discriminated against

for centuries because of their low status in the caste system, in India. The caste system includes

four classes. At the top are the Brahmins, going downwards on the ladder, next are the

Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, the Shudras, and finally at the bottom are the Dalits, or the

Untouchables. For centuries, the Dalits have been tasked with jobs such as collecting human

waste, and therefore have been deprived of access to education and suitable living conditions

(Campbell, 2014). Looking at the Dalits’ academic success in universities, the workforce, and

whether or not discrimination towards them is still persistent, it is possible to determine if AA is

effective. The evidence demonstrates that the argument of AA discriminating against non-

minority groups by not treating them equal to minorities in job and college applications is

incorrect.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 3

Table of Contents

Abstract 2

Introduction 4

Literature Review 4

Data Collection 8

Data Chart 8

Rationale 10

Conclusion: 13

Conclusions 13

References 15
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 4
Introduction

Caste discrimination, the practice of discriminating someone on the basis of their social

caste, is not illegal. Only the practice of Untouchability is illegal, which is a form of caste

discrimination that includes out casting a minority group. This kind of discrimination, is against

those of the out-cast caste, the Dalits, or the Scheduled Caste (SC). For thousands of years they

have been discriminated against because of their standing in the caste system. Due to their social

status, a large amount of SCs live in poverty, have inadequate access to health, are unemployed,

and do not have much access education (Shrinivasan, 2010). Cases of crimes against SCs, have

“nearly doubled from 8,380 cases in 2006 to 16,654 cases in 2016” according to India’s National

Crimes Records Bureau in 2016 (Saldanha and Mallapur, 2018). To solve these issues, the Indian

federal government has implemented mandatory hiring quotas in government agencies, as well

as in public universities to help SCs gain more opportunities in the workforce and at top

universities. These quotas are allocated seats specifically reserved for those of historically

discriminated people, but many are opposed to it because of the belief that it does not reward

workers and students on the basis of merit, contributing workers being ineffective. Quotas in

universities, although controversial, are proven to help benefit SCs with a higher education level

and more job opportunities, assisting in equal opportunities for lower and upper caste citizens.

Literature Review

Democracy stands for the pure principles of equality, but how can the government truly

assure everyone is equal? In such nations like the U.S and India, they pride themselves on equal

opportunity and access. In universities, AA has been used to diversify campuses, but its

controversy has pushed for states like California to ban its practice, this is due to the “reverse

discrimination” debate, which argues that by using AA, majorities are discriminated in the
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 5
college application process, while minorities are getting a larger preference. AA has greatly

influenced the number of minorities in top schools, for example in the University California,

Berkeley, the number of black students attending has dropped from 6 percent in 1980 to only 3

percent in 2017 (Shafer, 2018). This decrease in the enrollment of minorities will become

apparent in colleges if AA is banned in the U.S, especially African American, according to the

Department of Education (Hemdash, 2015). In India, AA policy is different. Instead of

determining one’s acceptance while considering their race, Indian universities are required to

allocate a certain number of spaces available in a class based on one’s low caste status. But due

to AA’s controversy, many blame it for being a factor in dividing upper and lower-caste citizens

and fueling hate towards the Dalits. A result of banning AA in India, though, would pose the

same problems as seen in California, as AA “gets more lower-caste citizens into college” (Epple

and Towel, 2016). If AA brings up many controversies, then why is there not a better program

that would be able to give all students an equal and fair chance without hurting the chances of

diversity on campus?

In India and the U.S, some are calling for caste, race, or gender to not be a part of the

college admission process, but due to AA laws in India, it is difficult to find alternatives to

diversify their campuses, which is appealing because universities provide all of their students

with unique opportunities to interact with an increasingly diverse world (“Does Affirmative

Action on Campus do More Harm than Good?” 2014). In the U.S, African Americans are faced

with disadvantages unproportionable to those of poor whites. As “7 percent of poor whites live in

high-poverty neighborhoods, while 23 percent of poor blacks do so,” and while a lot of whites

who live in poverty grow up to be in the middle class, black children of the same economic

background tend to stay in those surrounding areas (Rothstein, 2014), going to show the
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 6
importance of giving minorities equal opportunity in education. Without the use of AA in India,

only rich students of prominent backgrounds would enter top schools. In an interview with five

university officials in the Tamil Nadu state of India, it is true that more students of a greater

financial background, with poorer academic performance, get into these schools over students

from poorer families (Harris, 2012). This poses a question that India and the U.S face: is there

really another way to increase diversity in schools other than AA? In the U.S, courts have

suggested in the past that universities try to find another way to distinguish their campus, but

other policies or actions do not come close to the effectiveness of including more minorities in

such institutes, other than AA (Orfield, 2017). With AA, more minority students will attain

access to an education they would otherwise have a difficult time getting. With more access to

selective universities, minorities’ academic growth is evident.

AA goes beyond the process of college admissions. While some argue that students will

not be able to catch-up to their peers, which contributes to the “mismatch” hypothesis, stating

that students who do not come from quality education systems like their peers, will not do well

academically. But most of the research on this hypothesis is proven to be the opposite, in the

book Crossing the Finish Line Completing College at America’s Public Universities, the authors

find that “students were most likely to graduate by attending the most selective institution that

would admit them,” contributing to a proper education (Chingos, 2013). Quality universities are

also helping minority students with financial aid and on-campus support programs to help these

students academically in the U.S and India (Hultin, 2014). These programs to aid students in

gaining academic support are to help them reach a level similar to their peers, in order for them

to not be left behind in the rigorous academic setting they might not be familiar with. With these

programs, there has been a substantial increase in literacy rates and education levels among SCs,
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 7
which is a primary product of increased access to schooling (Desai and Kulkarni, 2008). With

access to a quality education, SCs find more opportunities within the workforce, where AA also

helps in equalizing economic opportunities.

AA is assisting in increasing the number of Dalits finding work and gaining higher

income levels. In the United States, AA policies have been proven to spread employment rates of

minorities, including women (Patino, 2017). Such policies like these in the workforce in India

has also been yielding similar results, with the unemployment rate among the Scheduled Castes

decreasing at a slow, but steady rate (Long and Kavazanjian, 2012). The difference between AA

policies in the U.S and India is the use of quotas in government jobs. In the U.S, quotas are

illegal, for they represent a more radical version of “reverse discrimination”, but in India they are

helping SCs attain more government level positions, which are considered to be very competitive

among applicants (Reviglio, 2019). As minorities in India are finding more job opportunities,

they are also acquiring higher incomes.

Affirmative Action is as assisting in Dalits gaining a higher income, helping to mend

discrimination in the workforce. Anti-discrimination policies, like Affirmative Action, have

supported decreases in wage gaps between minorities and majorities since the 1960s in the U.S.

In India, there have been wage gaps separating upper and lower caste citizens. Some places of

work believe the knowledge of a Dalit’s place of education is not required because they will truly

never reach an identical level of efficiency in their career. This kind of discrimination in the

workplace required the use of affirmative action (Deshpande, 2006).

 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 8
Data Collection

Data Chart

Studies Findings/Results Effect of AA on Success of lower- Persistence of caste-based

Scheduled-Caste (SC) caste students in the discrimination in the
student’s academic workforce. workforce.
success.
“Meritocracy AA does not infringe Although the test There is substantial Even though, after school,
and Affirmative upon the ability of scores needed for SCs evidence that SCs do SCs and those of Upper-
Action (AA) in Scheduled Castes (SC), to receive admittance well in their place of castes maintain the same
India” by or those from lower into a university is work, despite claims level of education, SCs
Ashwini castes, to uphold the lower than for other that they put a still see discrimination, for
Deshpande efficiency of their students, there is not a hindrance on the example when applying
(2018). workplace, even though great hindrance to their efficiency of their for jobs. A study in which
they possibly do not academic success work. In a study done identical resumes were
have the same level of because they tend to to assess the sent out to private
education as their find job stability. effectiveness of the companies, the only
Upper-caste peers. Therefore, there is no Indian Railroad, the difference being in their
Those attending school evidence that students study finds that the religion and caste, found
because of AA have a that benefit from AA railroad’s that if the chance for a call
better opportunity of do worse in their effectiveness was not back for Upper castes was
finding quality jobs and classes than their adversely impacted if 100%, SCs only have a
satisfaction and bringing Upper-caste peers. the proportion of SC call back chance of 67%.
home a higher income. employees increases.
According to the
study, AA increases
the possibility that
SCs will be able to
increase their house
income from around
40-70%.
“Affirmative Affirmative action is There is progression Job quotas change the There is still a bias against
action, proven to help students show in primary and incentives for SCs to SCs, as there is not
education and in school attainment in secondary schooling pursue a higher significant improvement
gender: literacy and pursuing a (increase of 7 education. Job quotas in the higher education of
Evidence from primary and secondary percentage points) as are important an SC there are not many
India” by education. AA has well as literacy (by 10 incentives for SCs to incentives to hire them, in
Guilhem Cassan resulted in an increase percentage points), yet obtain a higher fear that a private
(2018) of SC education in men, in higher education, education because company’s productivity
though seems not to men do not see a more public jobs are might decrease. Not much
have affected SC drastic improvement available to them sufficient data on this
women, therefore more and women do not see than before AA. AA topic in the study.
attention has to be trends in their data in has also been
directed towards the education despite the attributed to the
discrimination on the use of AA policies. economy of a region,
 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 9
basis of gender when Young student’s, from because if AA is
writing AA policies. 6-12 years old, benefit abolished, the
more from AA because spending per capita
there is a decreased would decrease.
chance that they will
drop out of school.
“Affirmative AA policies, as it In higher education SCs do not seem to Upper-caste students earn
Action in applies to higher (college), SC students improve in the field 17% more than SCs in the
Higher education is do not do as well as that they studied for. labor force. Even SCs that
Education in disadvantaging SCs. By their upper-caste peers There is no data in were in more selective
India: taking data from the IIT- in their first year. this paper on how majors do not make as
Targeting, Delhi’s 2008 graduating Afterwards, though, the they might perform in much as their upper-caste
Catch Up, and class, there is still a increase in GPA is very their work, but they or other SC peers, who
Mismatch at large gap in average apparent after the first are not receiving the have taken less selective
IIT-Delhi” by GPAs between them and year between SCs. The training that would majors. Even though these
Veronica their upper-caste peers. gap in average require them to SC students attended a
Frisancho Yet, AA is effectively cumulative GPA advance in their field prestigious technology
Robles and targeting students who between general and of choice. school, SCs are still being
Kala Krishna are disadvantaged SC students shrinks by placed in less quality jobs
(2011) economically, refuting 15%. The increase is than the general
the claim that the more than the population. Because
students who benefit progression of GPA father’s education and the
from AA policies are scores of upper-castes. selectivity of the major is
those who are richer in Yet, this does not taken into high
their own caste, even if account for the consideration, it
they are classified as selectivity of their disadvantages SCs.
SC. By choosing majors and the leniency
selective majors, SCs of the grading by
are even more teachers, in the classes.
disadvantaged, as their When looking at data
wages, after graduating, of SCs in their specific
are significantly lower major, compared to the
than their other peers. data of upper-caste
SC students also believe students, SC students
that they are are not catching up, but
discriminated against in rather falling behind as
school. they progress through
school.

“Policy 14: Number of SCs in Not enough SC The number of jobs Reports of discrimination
Affirmative educational institutions students are entering SCs have received in that are investigated and
Action, India” has risen significantly. universities, compared the government convicted, including the
by Sukhadeo Yet, not enough students to their population and sector has risen up to workplace, have been
Thorat are entering college after those of other higher 16% when recorded decreasing. For example,
secondary school. castes. Yet, literacy has in 2003. SCs are not from 1991 the rate was
Economy has benefitted, increased in the rural getting more high- 1.06% of cases were
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 10
as per capita spending and urban populations level jobs (A and B convicted, but the number
has also increased of SCs, yet this is still jobs), but are instead fell to only 0.06% of cases
dramatically, but not very small compared to in larger populations brought to the Civil Court.
very significant when the general population. when it comes to C Father’s education is
taking into consideration and D level jobs. taken into consideration
the population of SCs in There is a very little when applying for jobs.
India, and is lagging amount of SCs who
behind other groups. SC are offered
have also been getting promotions within the
more jobs, especially in government.
the private sector, but
not in high level jobs.
Overall, SCs have a
large population, but
even through the
implementation there is
not enough
representation of the SC
people.

Rationale

Untouchables, or the Scheduled Caste (SC) as outlined by the Indian government, are one

of the most discriminated against minorities in India. In order to explore the extent of their

discrimination, one must also take into consideration the measures the federal government has

taken to combat it, which are their enormous affirmative action (AA) programs that apply to

educational and job quotas. These policies are tremendously controversial in democratic nations

like the U.S and India, where people believe that by using such quotas, people with more merit

are disadvantaged, while entering people of less experience into the workforce. But are AA

policies resulting in the betterment of SCs in aspect to their education level, and professional

careers, therefore helping to end discrimination they face from Upper-caste members? To answer

this question, quantitatively analyzing the data from schools was the proper choice to discover

the effect of AA has on the educational level and the grade point average (GPA) of SC students

compared to their peers. Although by using some survey data on the effectiveness and
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 11
discrimination of a workplace is qualitative, the majority of data comes from a quantitative

research design through the form of surveys. Although surveying SC college students and

workers is the most effective way to gauge their success through their educational levels, the

workforce, and if they believe discrimination obvious at their place of work, the researcher did

not have access to a population of university students in India and SC workers to apply the

research tool, therefore meta-analysis was the appropriate choice. By using data from other

sources and studies the researcher could thoroughly analyze survey data without having to

collect it themselves.

Analysis

The researcher examined these four studies, which all had the same purpose of studying

the effects AA has on discrimination against SCs in India. These specific studies were used to

compile the data because they focused on AA policies in universities in India, specifically the

quotas that are implemented to increase SC student population. Because of their insight on the

educational performance of SCs in college, the sources also included data on how the students

perform in their careers after graduating. By using this data, the researcher can compare one

variable to the other, how AA affects the education of SCs, and therefore also their job

performance. The sources also have similar purposes for their studies, which is to conclude

whether or not there is discrimination in the labor force due to government quotas. In aspect of

educational performance of SCs the researcher found that AA policies have increased the

population of SC students in higher education drastically and that the overall GPA gap between

Upper-Caste students and SCs have decreased by 15% in an Indian Institution of Technology

Delhi through scores obtained in 2009. But their performance in school is not similar to their

peers. There is evidence that SCs are falling behind their other peers through their years of
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 12
schooling, especially when the majors they selected are selective. Surprisingly, when SCs choose

more selective majors, they have been receiving job opportunities that pay less than SCs that

have chosen less selective majors, yet this is not the case for Upper-castes. Overall jobs for SCs

surprisingly have been rising in the government sector, 16% since 2003, but they are not

resulting in high level jobs, for the careers most SCs are receiving are in lower sectors, with very

few of them receiving promotions. When picking applicants for certain jobs, it is found that

ancestors’ education is also taken into consideration, most likely the fathers’ education, therefore

discrimination is also apparent in the workforce. In surveys SC students believe they are being

discriminated against for their caste and how they might have gained a seat into college. This

data concludes that AA policies might be causing stigmatized opinions of SCs in the workforce.

There were some inconsistencies in the data when it came to educational performance.

The study “Meritocracy and Affirmative Action in India” by Ashwini Deshpande (2018)

concluded that SC students were earning sufficient grades, therefore AA policies were efficient,

but other studies conclude that although this is true when broadly looking at the data, this

conclusion overlooks the effect of the selectivity of the majors SCs choose. Other studies

conclude that SC students are falling behind their Upper-caste peers, most likely resulting in the

low-grade jobs SCs are attaining. This might also be a result due to the time gap in which these

studies were conducted. Most studies looking into AA were conducted in the late 1990s to early

2000s, whereas only few have been conducted recently. In the recent studies, though, data was

collected almost ten years ago, causing some discrepancies in the studies’ conclusions. Another

approach to the meta-analysis research tool might have been to use different studies that focused

on different aspects of the research question. By using independent studies on the educational

success of SCs, then some on the success of SCs in the workforce, and finally separate studies on
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 13
persistent discrimination in the labor force, the researcher might have been able to obtain more

specific data, in which they could have analyzed the studies together.

Conclusion:

Crimes against untouchables have recently been on the rise. As these hate crimes have

been increasing, many people have expressed their opposition to AA quotas in educational

institutions and government jobs. According to data collected from these studies, AA has been

increasing the per capita spending of SCs and their employment, but there are also many

disadvantages to AA, such as discrimination on the basis that there was no merit for an SC to

have obtained the job he or she earned. But, these studies also express the importance of how

without AA, SC members would access to poor educational and work institutions, if any at all. If

quotas were abolished, much like in the U.S, there is a possibility that the improvements of SCs

in sought-after professional career, like in Finance, might halt because of the significant

advantages Upper-caste members have in society. Making up almost 17% of the Indian

population, if such quotas did not exist, then representation for Untouchables would decrease

more than the low representation they have now. Without proper representation, equal education,

and equal job opportunities, the Untouchable caste has been deprived of equality for centuries,

making quotas necessary, in the present, to reach some sort of equality.

Conclusions

Although illegal for decades, caste discrimination is still apparent in India. Hate crimes

against Dalits, recently, have been on the rise, making immediate action to protect them

necessary. Quotas is an effective method to equalize the opportunities all castes should have

access to, in terms of education and work. With the Indian general election to take place soon in

2019, the question of whether or not to keep mandatory federal quotas for historically
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA 14
discriminated people, might arise, and even be placed into jeopardy. It is essential to voice

concern against its possible repeal, if India wants to reach its goal of equality among the social

castes. Through this slow process of equalization, it is also important to look at the social

discrimination SCs are facing, as well as economically. As social reform is not a large issue in

terms of caste discrimination in India, the next step is to tackle social improvement through more

direct means, other than controversial quotas.

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