Caste and gender inequalities: Policy and Dalit women in Maharashtra, India

The main research objective is to study how caste and gender inequalities are addressed in policy-making in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Stemming from this objective, the main research question is how are policies formulated and implemented in Maharashtra? In order to understand the process and embedded inequality, I intend to use Intersectionality as an analytical framework. The Research methodology will be qualitative. Desk research will be used primarily for intersectional analysis of policy scripts. To substantiate the analysis, semi structured interviews with various stakeholders, like representatives of relevant governmental institutions and Dalit women activists will form a substantial part of this research as will the interviews with policy experts and participant observation in selected policy-making institutions. This will be complemented by a gender and caste-sensitive analysis of relevant state-level policies and their implementation in the fields of Education, Employment, Housing, Health, and Political Participation and in particular with regard to the ‘Maharashtra State’s Women Policy’ and ‘The Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan’. The ultimate objective of this research is to stay out from an intersectionality blind policy approach that does not consider the multidimensionality of marginalization  and to propose more inclusive policies of poverty reduction that explicitly deal with caste and gender inequalities.