Publications

Little research has examined the health care experiences of transmasculine people in India, where government initiatives to improve access to transition-related (also called gender-affirmative) care have recently been announced. We draw on data from ‘Our Health Matters’, a mixed-methods community-based participatory research project, to characterize the transition-related care experiences of transmasculine people in India. Peer researchers conducted 40 virtual qualitative interviews in Hindi or Marathi from July to September 2021. Between November 2022 and January 2023, 377 transmasculine people participated in a multi-mode survey available in five languages. Qualitative data were analysed with a combination of framework analysis and grounded theory techniques. Data were mixed using a convergent parallel approach. Transmasculine persons’ care journeys began with information-seeking, relying on peers and internet searches. In choosing between the public and private healthcare systems, they weighed issues of quality and affordability: the public system was perceived as lower-quality and difficult to access but most could not afford private care, leading to delays in care. Indeed, unmet need was common; 36.4% of survey participants were planning but had not begun to receive transition-related care and 80.2% wanted at least one transition-related surgery. Although some participants encountered stigma and refusal of care when seeking hormones, survey participants reported largely positive experiences with their hormone prescribers, which may reflect the influence of peer referrals. Participants underwent psychological assessments prior to transition-related care, which some experienced as disempowering and a barrier to disclosing mental health challenges. Finally, participants who were able to access care reported improved well-being, although surgical dissatisfaction was not uncommon (26.2%). Trans-inclusive medical training and continuing education are critical to enhancing access to high-quality transition-related care. Transmasculine people generally relied on peers and grassroots organizations for information, system navigation, and financial assistance. Strengthening these existing community resources may improve access to care.

There are demographic and development differences between the North and the South, but concerns about labour migration to the South are not warranted since the movement of labour is an important channel for reaping the demographic dividend as well as achieving regionally balanced development.

There are demographic and development differences between the North and the South, but concerns about labour migration to the South are not warranted since the movement of labour is an important channel for reaping the demographic dividend as well as achieving regionally balanced development.

This article fills a notable gap in existing research on outcome-based education (OBE) in India. It reports findings from a multi-sited field-based investigation of OBE across five relatively highly ranked institutions in India. Building on actor–network theory the article argues that attempting to study OBE opens up a range of concerns such as disciplinary dispositions, teacher training, methodological limitations of OBE, concerns of labour, management and the problem of designating the scalar boundaries of OBE. The article argues that OBE allows problematizing the distinction between skill and knowledge and the hierarchy that exists between them. It argues that OBE need not be construed as a degradation of higher education into trade schools, rather this moment provides us an opportunity to rethink the relationship between vocational, technical, and general education. This assumes significance in the current context as the new clientele of higher education do not have the luxury nor often the aspiration for further education but want to use undergraduate education as a take-off to build meaningful careers outside the academia.