Educational Inequality and Social Mobility: A Two-City Study in India

Patterns of intergenerational social mobility provide an indication of the equality of opportunity and “openness” of a society. This paper studies the impact of educational attainment on social mobility chances in India for both women and men. India presents a novel case to test theories of inequality and to examine social change given its diversity and the pace of recent growth that has excluded a significant proportion of the population, and due to persisting educational and gender inequalities. Specifically, large cities in India that have expanded both in terms of population and economic growth are ideal contexts for such a study of social mobility. This paper analyses primary data collected through a survey of over 1800 respondents in two cities, Delhi and Patna. In-depth interviews with some of the surveyed respondents provide the much needed context to this study of persisting inequalities.