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Gender inequality and caste: Field experimental evidence from India

Author

Listed:
  • Asad Islam

    (Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability and Department of Economics, Monash University)

  • Debayan Pakrashi

    (Department of Economic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur)

  • Soubhagya Sahoo

    (Department of Economic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur)

  • Liang Choon Wang

    (Department of Economics, Monash University)

  • Yves Zenou

    (Department of Economics, Monash University)

Abstract

Using a field experiment in India where patients are randomly assigned to rank among a set of physicians of the same gender but with different castes and years of experience, we show that the differences in patients’ physician choices are consistent with gender-based statistical discrimination. Labor market experience cannot easily overcome the discrimination that female doctors suffer. Further, we find that gender discrimination is greater for lower caste doctors, who typically suffer from caste discrimination. Given the increasing share of professionals from a lower caste background, our results suggest that the 'intersectionality' between gender and caste leads to increased gender inequality among professionals in India.

Suggested Citation

  • Asad Islam & Debayan Pakrashi & Soubhagya Sahoo & Liang Choon Wang & Yves Zenou, 2021. "Gender inequality and caste: Field experimental evidence from India," Monash Economics Working Papers 2021-07, Monash University, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:mos:moswps:2021-07
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    Cited by:

    1. Islam, Asad & Pakrashi, Debayan & Vlassopoulos, Michael & Wang, Liang Choon, 2021. "Stigma and misconceptions in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A field experiment in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    2. Cummins, Joseph & Guo, Jingyan & Agarwal, Neha & Aiyar, Anaka & Jain, Vaishali & Bergmann, Andrew, 2024. "Caste Differences in Child Growth: Disentangling Endowment and Investment Effects," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender discrimination; statistical discrimination; caste discrimination; intersectionality; affirmative action;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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