Background Characteristics of the Individuals Attaining Higher Education in India: A Sociological Study of Srinagar City

Authors

  • Rabiya Yaseen Bazaz Department of Sociology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh Pin 202002, India
  • Mohammad Akram Department of Sociology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh Pin 202002,India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2020.2.252.266

Keywords:

social background; courses within higher education; higher education in different contexts; gender; caste; parent’s background; descriptive study.

Abstract

Aim: Higher education has experienced major changes in last few decades in India in terms of its expansion, content and reach. Massification of higher education has increased access to education and people belonging to different social backgrounds are getting enrolled in higher education. A pertinent question that emerges here is: what kind of relationship exists between the background characteristics of people and the levels and types of higher education they attain? This descriptive study provides a comprehensive answer.

Method: This empirical work is conducted in Srinagar city of India. It covered 704 respondents belonging to 245 households. Survey method was used for collecting primary data and structured interviews were conducted by making use of interview-schedule.

Results: This study finds that higher education in Srinagar is readily available for many but such availability is embedded within constraints related to gender, age, occupation and education of parents and caste related identities. People coming from different social backgrounds acquire different types and levels of higher education. It creates hierarchy among and within academic courses of higher education and inequalities among the groups.

Conclusion: Higher education reflects as well as promotes social inequalities in contemporary context and thus the egalitarian goals of higher education are getting compromised. There is need to bring change in the courses and contents of higher education so that it can address to dynamic needs of people coming from different backgrounds. Education needs to become a vehicle for liberation and social transformation and should not remain a mere agency of social reproduction.

Key words: social background; courses within higher education; higher education in different contexts; gender; caste; parent’s background; descriptive study.

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Author Biographies

  • Rabiya Yaseen Bazaz, Department of Sociology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh Pin 202002, India

    Dr. Rabiya Yaseen Bazaz has recently completed her Ph.D. (Sociology) from the Department of Sociology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. She has worked on areas like sociology of education, employment and work, inequality and stratification, labour market, social policies and development. She has published many research articles in Scopus and peer-reviewed journals. She has presented papers in many national and international conferences. 

  • Mohammad Akram, Department of Sociology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh Pin 202002,India

    Prof. Mohammad Akram is Professor of Sociology at Department of Sociology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. He has five published books and several research papers to his credit. He has worked on areas of sociology of health, migration, work, education and social policies. He is engaged in the profession of teaching, research and PhD supervision for more than twenty years. He is a member of International Sociological Association (ISA) and elected member of the Managing Committee of Indian Sociological Society (ISS).

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Published

2020-09-11

How to Cite

Bazaz, R. Y. ., & Akram, M. . (2020). Background Characteristics of the Individuals Attaining Higher Education in India: A Sociological Study of Srinagar City. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 11(2), 252-266. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2020.2.252.266