Who Are the Marginalized? Identifying Vulnerable Groups in India

In the bustling streets of Mumbai, a young woman struggles to secure a job despite her qualifications. In a remote village in Jharkhand, a person with mobility challenges faces daily stigma. In the hills of Meghalaya, a tribal family watches helplessly as development projects displace them from ancestral lands. Meanwhile, in countless homes across India, elderly parents grapple with isolation as their children migrate for work. These stories aren’t isolated incidents-they reflect the lived experiences of millions who belong to marginalized groups in Indian society.

Understanding who the marginalized are isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s about recognizing the structural barriers that prevent significant portions of our population from accessing opportunities, resources, and dignity. Let’s explore the experiences of four key vulnerable groups in India: women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and the elderly.

Women: trapped between tradition and aspiration 🔗

When we think about marginalization in India, women’s experiences cut across every dimension of social exclusion. Despite comprising half the population, women represent only about 20 percent of the labor force, a figure that dropped further to 16 percent in 2020 during the pandemic. This isn’t simply about employment numbers-it reflects deeply embedded patriarchal structures that shape every aspect of women’s lives.

Consider the daily reality: women in India spend an average of 352 minutes each day on unpaid care work-that’s nearly six hours devoted to household chores, childcare, and family responsibilities that remain invisible in economic calculations. This unpaid labor creates a significant barrier to their participation in formal employment and economic independence.

The marginalization runs deeper than economics. Gender-based discrimination manifests in multiple forms-from the declining child sex ratio that reflects a preference for male children to limited property ownership. Women comprise 42 percent of agricultural labor but own only 9 percent of land. Even access to technology remains skewed, with just 21 percent of women using mobile internet, which increasingly determines access to financial services, education, and job opportunities.

Cultural factors compound these economic barriers. Child marriage, though illegal, continues to trap young girls in cycles of poverty and limited opportunity. Violence against women-both domestic and public-remains a pervasive threat that restricts mobility and participation in society. For women from already marginalized communities like Dalits, Adivasis, or religious minorities, discrimination operates on multiple levels simultaneously.

People with disabilities: fighting stigma and structural barriers 🔗

Imagine explaining to someone that your pain isn’t laziness, that your struggle isn’t attention-seeking, that your limitations are real even when they can’t be seen. This is the daily battle faced by millions of Indians living with disabilities-a group that remains among the most excluded in our society.

According to India’s National Statistics Office, about 2.2 percent of the population lives with some kind of physical or mental disability. But this number likely underrepresents reality due to social stigma and narrow definitions of what constitutes disability. Historical attitudes that viewed disability as punishment for past actions or supernatural forces continue to shape perceptions and treatment of people with disabilities.

The stigma begins early. In schools across India, children with disabilities often go unidentified and unsupported. A revealing survey in Haryana found that while teachers identified only 36 students with disabilities in grades three to five, when students themselves were surveyed, more than 60 reported difficulties in reading from blackboards, hearing teachers, or moving freely in school. When disabilities aren’t recognized early, appropriate support never materializes.

Employment remains a critical challenge. Less than one-fifth of the disabled population in India is employed, with many companies reluctant to hire people with disabilities despite legal protections. This employment gap isn’t just about numbers-it represents lost potential, wasted talent, and enforced economic dependency that reinforces social marginalization.

The experience of disability in India is also shaped by visibility. While visible disabilities may attract more social stigma, invisible disabilities like chronic pain conditions or mental health challenges often aren’t recognized as legitimate, leaving individuals trapped between their lived experience and society’s denial of their struggles.

The language of exclusion 🔗

Even the words used matter. Terms like “Viklang” in Hindi-which translates to handicapped or crippled-carry heavy negative connotations and reinforce othering. The language of disability in India often conjures images only of visible, severe disabilities, making it harder for those with less apparent conditions to access support or even recognize their own needs.

Ethnic minorities and tribal communities: displacement and dispossession 🔗

In India’s northeast hills and central forests, across its deserts and coastlines, live diverse ethnic and tribal communities whose relationship with the land spans millennia. Yet these first inhabitants-the Adivasis and various ethnic minorities-face systematic marginalization that threatens both their livelihoods and cultural identities.

India’s tribal population of approximately 84.3 million people faces marginalization rooted in ethnicity rather than caste. Unlike scheduled castes, tribal communities’ exclusion stems from their distinct cultural identities, languages, and traditional ways of life that often clash with dominant mainstream narratives and development models.

Land alienation stands as perhaps the most fundamental challenge. Tribal lands, rich in natural resources, become targets for mining operations, dam construction, and industrial development. Large-scale projects displace communities from ancestral territories, severing not just physical connections but spiritual and cultural ties to the land that has sustained them for generations. When compensation arrives, it’s typically monetary-a form unfamiliar to communities living in informal economies that previously depended on agricultural land and forests.

The marginalization extends beyond land issues. Tribal communities experience severe barriers to quality healthcare and education. Remote locations and limited infrastructure mean high infant mortality rates, malnutrition, and preventable diseases remain common. Educational institutions are often absent, and when present, they rarely offer culturally relevant curricula or teachers who speak local languages. Literacy rates lag significantly behind national averages.

Political representation and voice 🔗

Despite constitutional provisions for reserved seats and autonomous councils in certain regions, tribal communities remain underrepresented in political processes. Their voices in decisions affecting their lives-from forest rights to development projects-are frequently sidelined. This political marginalization creates a vicious cycle where their concerns don’t shape policy, and policies continue to marginalize them.

Ethnic minorities beyond tribal designations face their own challenges. Religious minorities, linguistic groups, and communities in border regions often experience discrimination, limited access to resources, and in some cases, targeted violence. The intersection of multiple marginalized identities-such as being a tribal woman or belonging to a religious minority within a tribal community-compounds vulnerabilities.

The elderly: aging into invisibility 🔗

Picture this: after decades of work and family devotion, reaching an age when rest seems earned, only to find yourself increasingly isolated, economically vulnerable, and socially invisible. This describes the reality for millions of elderly Indians navigating a society in rapid transition.

India’s elderly population-currently around 104 million people aged 60 and above-is expected to reach 173 million by 2026 and 347 million by 2050. Yet as family structures shift from joint to nuclear arrangements, the elderly face increased marginalization and isolation. About 20 percent of urban elderly and 10 percent of rural elderly now live alone, a dramatic departure from traditional multigenerational living.

Economic vulnerability haunts this demographic. Only 10 percent of elderly Indians have pension coverage, leaving the vast majority-especially the 90 percent who worked in unorganized sectors-without dedicated social security. Around 40 percent of elderly people fall in the poorest wealth quintile, with approximately one-fifth having no income at all. This financial insecurity often forces continued work well past retirement age, typically in informal sectors without labor protections.

Health challenges compound economic pressures. About 75 percent of elderly people suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease, while 20 percent face mental health issues including depression. Yet accessing affordable, quality healthcare remains difficult, particularly in rural areas where most elderly live. Many require home-based care due to mobility limitations, yet such services remain scarce and expensive.

The feminization of aging 🔗

Elderly women face particularly acute challenges. Higher life expectancy means over 50 percent become widows, and widowhood in India carries profound social stigma. Widows often lose property rights, face social ostracism, and lack access to resources and information. They’re nearly twice as likely as elderly men to have no income and significantly less likely to access healthcare, even though they report poorer health.

Elder abuse-emotional, physical, and financial-affects nearly 50 percent of elderly people, yet only 15 percent report it due to fear, dependency, and shame. Many elderly people experience “dependency anxiety,” curtailing their needs and hesitating to inform family about health problems to avoid being seen as burdens.

The challenge isn’t just individual but societal. Rising ageism manifests in employment discrimination, condescension, and the treatment of elderly people as outdated or irrelevant. Cultural shifts toward individualism clash with traditional respect for elders, leaving many feeling marginalized and undervalued despite their wisdom and experience.

Intersecting vulnerabilities 🔗

These categories aren’t isolated-they intersect and compound. An elderly tribal woman with a disability faces marginalization on multiple fronts simultaneously. A young woman from a religious minority community navigating the job market confronts both gender and ethnic discrimination. Understanding marginalization requires recognizing these overlapping vulnerabilities and how they amplify exclusion.

What unites these diverse experiences is systematic denial of opportunities, resources, and dignity. Whether through gender-based discrimination, disability stigma, ethnic exclusion, or ageism, marginalized groups face structural barriers that limit their full participation in social, economic, and political life. Recognizing who they are is the first step toward dismantling these barriers and building a truly inclusive society.

What do you think? Looking at your own community, which marginalized groups remain most invisible? What specific actions-whether through policy, community initiatives, or individual behavior-could help dismantle the barriers these groups face?

References

1. https://india.un.org/en/172095-gender-equality-and-youth-development
2. https://rootedinrights.org/the-cultural-implications-of-being-disabled-in-india
3. https://www.pmfias.com/indias-elderly-population