(a) What are the prevalent forms of gender discrimination in Indian society ? Discuss the measures that can be taken to eradicate…

(a) Gender Discrimination in Indian Society and Measures to Eradicate It

Gender discrimination in India operates at structural, interpersonal and intrapsychic levels, limiting women's capabilities in Amartya Sen's sense. Its prevalent forms include:

• Son preference and sex selection: NFHS-5 (2019–21) recorded a sex ratio at birth of 929 females per 1,000 males, reflecting continued pre-natal sex selection despite the PCPNDT Act, 1994.
• Economic discrimination: low (though recently rising) female labour force participation, wage gaps, and concentration in unpaid care work and informal jobs.
• Violence: domestic and intimate partner violence (about 29% of ever-married women aged 18–49 reported spousal violence in NFHS-5), dowry deaths, and sexual harassment at work and in public spaces.
• Educational and digital gaps: under-representation in some STEM and technical courses, and lower mobile phone and internet access for women.
• Socio-psychological forms: gender stereotypes, benevolent sexism (Glick and Fiske), restrictions on mobility and decision-making, and stereotype threat that depresses performance.
• Political under-representation, which the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 seeks to address through one-third reservation in legislatures.

Measures to eradicate it must work at several levels:

• Legal: strict enforcement of the PCPNDT Act, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, the POSH Act, 2013, and the equal-remuneration provisions of the Code on Wages, 2019.
• Economic: SHG-based credit and livelihoods, skilling, the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, and creches and safe transport to raise participation.
• Educational: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, gender-sensitive curricula and teacher training, and STEM scholarships for girls.
• Psychological and community: persuasion and social-norms campaigns, visible role models, engaging men and boys, counter-stereotypic exposure, and Mission Shakti support systems such as One Stop Centres and the 181 helpline.

(b) Relative Deprivation versus Prolonged Deprivation

Deprivation in social psychology denotes perceived or actual denial of essential resources. Relative deprivation, grounded in Ted Gurr and W.G. Runciman’s formulations, is subjective, arising from a perceived discrepancy between value expectations and value capabilities, mediated by Leon Festinger’s social comparison processes. It is typically time-bound and reference-group dependent. In contrast, prolonged deprivation, extensively studied by Girishwar Misra and L.B. Tripathi in the Indian context, refers to chronic, pervasive, structural, and intergenerational denial of physical, cognitive, and social stimulation, leading to enduring structural and developmental deficits. The intersectionality of caste, class, and gender deeply amplifies both conditions.

The psychological consequences of relative deprivation are multifaceted:

Frustration-Aggression: Unmet comparative expectations generate intense frustration, often externalised as hostile aggression, interpersonal friction, or social unrest in line with the frustration-aggression hypothesis.

Affective Distress and Anomie: Chronic comparative inferiority fosters envy, diminished self-esteem, subjective well-being deficits, and psychological anomie or normlessness.

Learned Helplessness: When systemic barriers repeatedly thwart upward mobility despite subjective effort, individuals may develop Martin Seligman’s learned helplessness, apathy, and depression.

Collective Action: When relative deprivation is framed collectively (fraternalistic deprivation), it acts as a catalyst for constructive social movements, identity assertion, and social change.

(c) Mass Media, IT, and Intervention Design

Mass media and Information Technology function as potent socio-cognitive agents. Grounded in Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory and George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory, media constructs social reality, provides prosocial behavioural models, and cultivates digital citizenship. Indian initiatives and cinematic narratives (e.g., Padman de-stigmatising menstrual health) illustrate media's power to shift taboos. However, media displays a dual role: algorithmic echo chambers, hyper-commercialised body standards, and misinformation can exacerbate toxic comparison and polarization, necessitating structured digital literacy.

Program Design: Project SAMVEDNA (Social Media and Value Education for Digital Agency)

Targeted at undergraduate college students, Project SAMVEDNA is a 12-week structured psycho-educational initiative designed to build ethical digital citizenship and foster prosocial values.

Structure and Activities:

• Phase 1: Digital Deconstruction Labs (Weeks 1–4): Interactive modules on algorithmic awareness, detecting fake news, and mitigating social comparison anxiety.
• Phase 2: Empathy and Value Inculcation (Weeks 5–8): Peer-led workshops utilizing digital storytelling, perspective-taking exercises, and gender-sensitisation simulations.
• Phase 3: Digital Positivity Sandbox (Weeks 9–12): Student-led creation of positive social media campaigns, podcasts, and digital art promoting mental health and community cohesion.

Implementation and Evaluation: The program is anchored by the Department of Psychology in collaboration with the National Service Scheme (NSS), employing a peer-mentor model. Evaluation incorporates pre- and post-intervention assessments on the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) and the Critical Media Literacy Scale, alongside digital campaign reach metrics. Sustainability is secured by integrating the modules into the co-curricular credit framework and establishing an ongoing student-led Digital Ethics and Well-being Club.