Caste, Color, Culture, and Gender in Upper Caste South Asian Population

Caste-based oppression, prevalent in Indian society, is a form of discrimination where the lower castes are treated as untouchables and the upper castes are favored. With the large-scale immigration of South Asians to the U.S., the caste system is interjected into the country, with over half of the Indian population identifying as an upper caste. This study determined the association between casteist and colorist beliefs and strived to understand the differences between casteist and colorist beliefs based on gender. The participants (n = 102) were upper caste South Asian college students in the U.S. Analyses indicated a positive correlation between casteist and colorist beliefs; as caste institutional beliefs increased, color mobility beliefs decreased. Students who believed that a person could get good opportunities regardless of their skin color were less likely to support that institutions should teach about caste beliefs. This paper highlights the cultural intersectionality of caste and color, underscoring the urgency for the inclusion of caste in psychological discourses and as a component of cultural competency. The paper calls attention to the upper-caste South Asian mental health practitioners’ responsibility to take active steps to address caste-based discrimination in their own therapeutic practices.