Depressed and Ostracized: Scrutinizing the Condition of Dalit Women in India and Their Fight for Justice Against Barbarism

Abstract

Dalit women bear the heaviest burden of discrimination since they are the focus of the repressive social tiers. This is an attempt to highlight the situation of these marginalized groups using many factors that sociologists frequently use to assess the status of a class. Although depressed women’s literacy rates have grown from 41.9% in 2001 to 56.5% in 2011, there is still a long way to go before they reach the general category’s literacy rate of 64.6%. As a result, Dalit women continue to live in appalling circumstances. Regardless of the unfair terms and circumstances of employment, they are forced to work in poverty that compels them to toil irrespective of the unjust terms and conditions of employment. Even among the depressed castes, the men get precedence over any job. Discrimination and oppression are the most common words that can be used to describe the position of Dalit women. Weak physique and unhealthy living condition are other issues which, contributes to their misery, making them vulnerable to the competitive world. The words ‘violence’, ‘suffering’ and ‘agony’ seem synonymous with these women. Atrocities against Dalit women are only emphasized by caste standards. Hence, much awaits to be done to guarantee justice based on gender and ensure equality in all instances. They are true ‘The Depressed and Ostracized’.