Is there a way to book tickets on Indian Railways without supplying your gender?

Question

When purchasing a reserved ticket on any train operated by Indian Railways, one's required to enter the age and gender (male or female) of all passengers. However, for various reasons, I don't wish to disclose my* gender. For instance, my expressed gender may be different from the one in my identity document (explicitly written or implicitly pictured), or I may not identify with a particular gender.

The standard IRCTC website for purchasing tickets on Indian Railways won't let you through if you don't select a gender.

Is there a way to purchase a train ticket without disclosing your gender? Why does Indian Railways require passengers to disclose their gender at the time of booking?

^{* Question doesn't necessarily relate to me}

Answer 1

No, there isn't any way to book it without disclosing the gender. There are a number of reasons to make it mandatory:

1. There are a lot unauthorized agents which make generic/fraudulent ticket bookings and then illegally resell these at higher prices. Asking specifics like age, gender, name, etc. prevents such practices to an extent.
2. There is a Ladies Quota for women. It's meant to be a quota for women traveling alone or with a child under three years of age. It is available only in Sleeper Class and is available on most trains on Indian Railways that offer that class. However, there are only six berths available under this quota on the entire train. These six berths will always be together in one coach, usually the first bay next to the door. To book an online ticket under the Ladies Quota, one has to select "Ladies" from the Quota option on IRCTC (under the same dropdown as General, Tatkal). If booking at a PRS counter at the station, one has to mention it on the booking form. This quota does not have RAC or a waitlist, so once the six berths are sold out, they're gone, and the status will show "Not Available." It goes without saying that only women can be booked under this.
3. Pregnant women and women above 45 years of age travelling alone will be issued a lower berth (normally, conductors will issue one on request, and co-passengers are also generous)

4. In all the trains having reserved accommodation, a combined quota (code SS) of two lower berths per coach have been designated in Sleeper, AC 3 Tier and AC 2 Tier classes for the following passengers when travelling alone:

   • Senior citizen
   • Female passengers 45 years of age and above
   • Pregnant women