Caste system
Topic: Gender, Religion and Caste in Politics · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 3 "Gender, Religion and Caste"
Meaning
The caste system is an extreme form of hereditary occupational division. This means a person's work was fixed by birth and passed down from parents to children. Religious rituals backed the system. Members of each caste were expected to do the same kind of work, marry only within their group (endogamy) and eat only with their own members. Groups treated as "outcaste" were shut out and faced untouchability. Article 17 abolishes untouchability, and Article 15 bans discrimination based on caste. NCERT calls caste divisions special to India.
Example
Under the caste system, a family that cleaned streets was expected to do the same work for generations. It was not allowed to share food or water with "higher" castes. Today occupational mobility, urbanisation and education are weakening these rules. Even so, most people still marry within their caste.
Don't confuse with
- Casteism: the caste system is the social structure. Casteism is the belief that caste is the only basis of community, with each caste having its own separate interests.