An alternative analysis which draws upon the understanding of patriarchy, both as a set of cultural practices and material relationships, is proposed to explore the dialectics of gender and tribe, as they get played out not only within the household, but also in the larger economy, polity, and society. The proposed presentation draws mainly from the data collected during my doctoral program. The empirical data for the study was collected by conducting detailed interviews with 300 medical professionals. The study also drew upon life histories of the scheduled caste medical professionals. The schedule caste medical professionals are those who benefit from the State's positive discrimination policy.
Merit contributes to the scientific and technological advancement in all professions.
The professions are by themselves in pursuit of excellence in terms of both performance and discovery. The professionals thereby emphasize the relevance of merit and at times tend to overlook the necessity of welfare policies for social justice. These welfare policies were developed with an idea to bring about a healthy balance in the society and one such a policy is the State's positive discrimination policy. This policy aims to integrate the weaker sections such as the scheduled castes. As part of its broader objective, this policy reserves seats in the educational institutions and jobs in the employment spheres for the scheduled castes.