THREAT TO WOMEN’S SOCIAL IDENTITY IN CASTE-STEREOTYPING USED IN PUNJABI LANGUAGE: ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS

Abstract

This research investigates the impact of caste stereotyping in the Punjabi language on women’s social identity in Punjabi society. The study examines how caste-based stereotypes, inter-caste prejudice and bias, socio-economic status, social experiences, and culturally transmitted beliefs embedded in the Punjabi language influence and potentially threaten women’s social identity. In Punjabi society, women use different Punjabi dialects in which caste stereotypes have historically been embedded and reproduced through everyday communication, social interactions, collective wisdom, and culturally established attitudes and beliefs. To explore these relationships, the researcher interviewed 18 Punjabi women aged 50–70 years to gain insight into locally prevalent caste stereotypes. Based on the findings from the interviews and relevant literature, a questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 48 women from the same age group. The findings indicate that strong beliefs in the truth and validity of caste stereotypes contribute to negative social relations, restricted inter-caste communication, and the categorization of individuals according to perceived characteristics of higher- and lower-professional castes. The study further reveals that the persistence and use of caste stereotypes in the Punjabi language have a significant adverse impact on women’s social identity by shaping their social status, interpersonal relationships, social recognition, and sense of belonging. Thus, caste stereotyping functions as an important social and linguistic factor that threatens the construction and maintenance of women’s social identity. The study recommends incorporating awareness of caste-based linguistic stereotypes and their social consequences into social studies curricula to challenge discriminatory attitudes and promote more inclusive social relations in Punjabi society.