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

In Indian society, gender discrimination manifests across structural and socio-psychological planes, restricting women's agency as conceptualised in Amartya Sen’s capability approach. Prevalent forms include persistent son preference leading to adverse child sex ratios (NFHS-5), the gender wage gap and informalised labour, educational disparities in higher STEM disciplines, domestic and intimate partner violence (reflected in high NCRB reporting rates), political underrepresentation, and a widening digital gender divide. Eradication requires multi-level interventions: stringent enforcement of legal provisions (PNDT Act, POSH Act), economic empowerment through targeted credit and formalisation (e.g., Mission Shakti), educational reforms that destereotype curricula (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao), and community-level cognitive-behavioural reframing of patriarchal social norms.

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.

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.

Addressing systemic gender discrimination and structural deprivation ultimately requires leveraging media technologies as active vehicles for socio-cognitive restructuring, transforming comparative vulnerabilities into collective empowerment and egalitarian social change.