What is the difference between social vulnerability and economic vulnerability?

Social vulnerability is based on identity and historical exclusion (e.g., caste or tribe), while economic vulnerability is based on labor market position and lack of assets (e.g., casual laborers). They often overlap, creating a compounding effect on the individual.

How does intra-household inequality affect the definition of 'the poor'?

It reveals that poverty is not uniform within a family; women, the elderly, and female infants may suffer more deprivation than male members. This makes them the 'poorest of the poor' because they are denied equal access to even the limited resources available.

Why is the poverty ratio higher among Scheduled Tribes compared to other social groups?

Scheduled Tribes often face geographical isolation and a lack of access to modern education and healthcare. Additionally, they have experienced the slowest rate of poverty reduction compared to other groups like Scheduled Castes or casual laborers.

What is a common misconception regarding the distribution of poverty across social groups?

A common error is assuming that poverty has declined at the same rate for everyone. In reality, while all groups have seen some improvement, the gap between Scheduled Tribes and the general population remains significantly wide.

What error occurs when analyzing poverty only at the household level?

Analyzing only at the household level ignores intra-household inequality. This oversight fails to identify that certain members, such as women or the elderly, may be experiencing much higher levels of deprivation than the household average suggests.

Define 'Social Exclusion' in the context of poverty.

Social exclusion is the process where individuals or groups are blocked from accessing rights, opportunities, and resources (like housing or employment) that are normally available to others. It serves as both a cause of poverty and a result of being poor.

What characterizes a 'Casual Labour Household' in an urban setting?

These households rely on daily wage work in the informal sector, which lacks job security, regular income, and social security benefits. They are highly vulnerable to economic shocks and fluctuations in the labor market.

What is meant by the 'Double Disadvantage' in poverty studies?

It refers to the situation where a person belongs to a marginalized social group (like Scheduled Castes) and simultaneously works in a precarious economic sector (like agricultural labor). This dual burden significantly increases the likelihood of persistent poverty.

Why are rural agricultural laborers more vulnerable than urban salaried employees?

Rural agricultural laborers usually lack land ownership and depend on seasonal work, leading to periods of zero income. Urban salaried employees typically have more stable contracts, regular pay, and better access to social services.

What is the primary driver of vulnerability for Scheduled Castes?

The primary driver is historical social discrimination which has limited their access to land, quality education, and high-paying jobs. This systemic exclusion forces a large percentage of the group into low-wage casual labor.

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Social Stratification

Social Groups Likely to Experience Poverty

Summary

Poverty is not distributed uniformly across a population; certain social and economic groups exhibit significantly higher vulnerability due to historical, systemic, and structural factors. Understanding these disparities involves analyzing the intersection of social identity, labor market position, and intra-household resource distribution.

1. Definition & Core Concepts of Vulnerability

Vulnerability to poverty is a measure which describes the greater probability of certain communities or individuals becoming, or remaining, poor in the coming years. It is determined by the options available to different communities for finding an alternative living in terms of assets, education, health, and job opportunities.

Social Stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals into social categories. In many societies, this stratification dictates access to resources, meaning that a person's social group at birth can significantly influence their economic trajectory and likelihood of experiencing deprivation.

Social Exclusion is a process through which individuals or groups are excluded from facilities, benefits, and opportunities that others enjoy. This is both a cause and a consequence of poverty, as excluded groups lack the social capital needed to escape economic hardship.

Bar chart illustrating the disparity in poverty ratios across different social and economic groups, highlighting that Scheduled Tribes and Rural Agricultural Labourers often exceed the national average.

2. Social Groups at Risk

Scheduled Tribes (ST) often represent the most vulnerable social group. Their poverty is frequently linked to geographical isolation, lack of access to quality education, and displacement from traditional land-based livelihoods.

Scheduled Castes (SC) face vulnerability rooted in historical social discrimination. While legal frameworks aim to protect these groups, systemic barriers in the labor market and education continue to result in higher-than-average poverty rates compared to the general population.

The Double Disadvantage occurs when an individual belongs to both a vulnerable social group (like SC or ST) and a vulnerable economic group (like casual labor). This intersectionality creates a compounding effect that makes escaping poverty exceptionally difficult.

3. Economic Categories at Risk

4. Intra-household Inequality

5. Key Distinctions: Social vs. Economic Vulnerability

6. Exam Strategy & Tips

Social Groups Likely to Experience Poverty

Summary

1. Definition & Core Concepts of Vulnerability

2. Social Groups at Risk

3. Economic Categories at Risk

Rural Agricultural Labour Households are highly susceptible to poverty due to the seasonal nature of farming. These workers often lack land ownership and depend on daily wages, which are subject to fluctuations in weather patterns and crop yields.

Urban Casual Labour Households consist of workers in the informal sector who lack job security, social security benefits, and steady income. They are often migrants living in precarious conditions with high living costs relative to their meager earnings.

The lack of Asset Ownership (such as land or capital) is the primary driver for these economic groups. Without assets to fall back on during lean periods, these households are forced into a cycle of debt and persistent deprivation.

4. Intra-household Inequality

Poverty is not always shared equally among members of a poor family. Intra-household inequality refers to the disparate distribution of resources (food, healthcare, education) within a single domestic unit.

Women, the elderly, and female infants are often systematically denied equal access to the family's limited resources. In many traditional structures, the needs of male earners are prioritized, leaving these 'vulnerable among the poor' at a higher risk of malnutrition and untreated illness.

This internal disparity means that even if a household's total income rises slightly above the poverty line, specific individuals within that household may still be living in absolute poverty conditions.

5. Key Distinctions: Social vs. Economic Vulnerability

It is critical to distinguish between vulnerability based on identity (social) and vulnerability based on occupation (economic). While they often overlap, their root causes require different policy interventions.

Feature	Social Vulnerability	Economic Vulnerability
Root Cause	Historical discrimination, caste, or ethnicity	Lack of assets, landlessness, and irregular employment
Primary Barrier	Social exclusion and lack of social capital	Market fluctuations and lack of skill/education
Group Examples	Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes	Agricultural laborers, Urban casual workers
Policy Focus	Affirmative action and social justice	Job creation and asset redistribution

6. Exam Strategy & Tips

Identify the 'Poorest of the Poor': When asked to identify the most vulnerable, always look for the intersection of gender and age within poor households (women, elderly, female children).
Analyze Trends: Remember that while poverty has declined across all groups since the 1990s, the rate of decline is slowest among Scheduled Tribes, making them a persistent outlier in development data.
Check for Double Disadvantage: In multiple-choice questions, the highest risk of poverty is usually found in individuals who are both socially marginalized (SC/ST) and economically marginalized (casual labor).
Avoid Generalization: Do not assume all members of a social group are poor; instead, use terms like 'disproportionately represented' or 'higher probability' to describe the relationship between group identity and poverty.