摘要：Caste and gender are the two most important defining attributes in Indian society. The identity of a person is considered incomplete without reference to these two attributes. Naturally, both the stigma and esteem associated with the respective gender and caste also percolate in professional life. Indian society for instance has traditionally been a male-dominated society and the upper-castes have had a near unchallenged supremacy for centuries together. This has led to the formation of stereotypes on caste and gender lines, and the present study attempts to explore their effects on teaching performance of college teachers. The sample comprised of 517 teachers and 10256 students from the state of Maharashtra. Teacher performance was measured with the help of the Teacher Assessment Scale (TASC) which is a structured instrument used to generate feedback of teaching performance from students. The present study has found that despite equal academic qualifications and eligibility among all teachers, female teachers and those from the backward castes are seen to underperform. The effect is most pronounced for female teachers from the backward castes who have to deal with both stereotypes of caste and gender. The study discusses the sociocultural as well as psychological perspectives of the caste and gender divide in the Indian society and its subsequent effects on performance.
