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Multigenerational Mobility Among Males in India

Author

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  • Anustup Kundu
  • Kunal Sen

Abstract

Most studies of intergenerational mobility focus on adjacent generations, and there is limited knowledge about multigenerational mobility—status transmission across three generations. We examine multigenerational educational and occupational mobility in India, using a nationally representative data set the India Human Development Survey that contains information about education and occupation for three generations. We find that mobility has increased over generations for education, but not for occupation. We also find that there are stark differences across social groups, with individuals belonging to socially disadvantaged communities lagging behind in social progress. Multigenerational mobility for Muslims in education and occupation has decreased in comparison to Hindus over the three generations. While we find that there is an increase in educational mobility for other disadvantaged groups such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes compared to General Castes, we do not find evidence of increased occupational mobility over the three generations.

Suggested Citation

  • Anustup Kundu & Kunal Sen, 2023. "Multigenerational Mobility Among Males in India," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(2), pages 395-418, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revinw:v:69:y:2023:i:2:p:395-418
    DOI: 10.1111/roiw.12568
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Pablo Celhay & Sebastian Gallegos, 2025. "Schooling mobility across three generations in six Latin American countries," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(1), pages 1-35, March.
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    4. Lipika Kalita & Hari K. Choudhury, 2024. "Exploring the impact of occupational mobility on socioeconomic status of tea garden labor community of Assam," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(7), pages 1-22, July.
    5. Annadurai, Gopinath & Sahoo, Soham, 2025. "Improving First-Generation College Students’ Education and Employment Outcomes: Effects of a Targeted Scholarship Program," IZA Discussion Papers 17879, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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