RESEARCH IN PROGRESS Life Satisfaction and Well-Being at the Intersections of Caste and Gender in India Akshay Johri 1 • Pooja V. Anand 2 Received: 15 September 2021 / Accepted: 5 May 2022 Ó The Author(s) under exclusive licence to National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) India 2022 Abstract Psychological research has a paucity of studies on caste and well-being. Existing literature on caste has extensively focused on pathological conditions in rural areas. In contrast, individuals who experience vulnerabili- ties in urban areas at the intersections of caste and gender identities are still underrepresented in the research litera- ture on the psychology of well-being. The present study recognises this gap in research and explores the interaction of caste and gender on life satisfaction and well-being in urban areas. On administering the Satisfaction with Life Scale and Mental Health Continuum-short form to a sam- ple of 465 young adults, the results revealed significant caste differences in both life satisfaction and well-being. The findings highlight that general caste individuals have higher life satisfaction and well-being than scheduled caste individuals. The findings also indicate significant gender differences in life satisfaction, with women having higher life satisfaction than men across caste groups. Results revealed no interaction effect between caste and gender. Consistent with earlier studies, the results on caste suggest that despite its discourses of diminishing importance, especially in urban areas, caste does play a significant role in an individual’s well-being and life satisfaction. Hence, the findings have implications for policy-making, educa- tion, and training to understand caste-based experiences better. Keywords Caste Á Gender Á Well-being Á Intersectionality Á Life satisfaction Á Mental health Abbreviations EWB Emotional Well-Being MHC-SF Mental Health Continuum- Short form OBC Other Backward Class PWB Psychological Well-Being SC Scheduled Caste ST Scheduled Tribe SWB Social Well-Being WHO World Health Organisation Introduction The caste system is a centuries-old system of social strat- ification which classifies people into hierarchically ranked endogamous groups. These groups are based on hereditary social roles and occupations, determining access to wealth, power and privilege (Deshpande, 2010). Since these groups are ascribed at birth, they cannot be changed in one’s lifetime (Simon & Thorat, 2020). As a result of which, the deeply entrenched nature of social stratification of the caste system has created massive social (Bros, 2014), educa- tional (Parashari, 2019) and economic (Munshi, 2019) inequalities. Higher in the hierarchical structure, upper castes have more education, influence, and privileges than the lower castes. Lower castes at the bottom of the hier- archy have traditionally been ostracised and suffered from social stigma. Furthermore, existing at the bottom of caste, class and gender hierarchies, women from marginalised groups experience the worst forms of stigma, & Akshay Johri ajohri139@gmail.com 1 Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India 2 Department of Psychology, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India 123 Psychol Stud https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-022-00667-6