Inter-caste marriages depend on education level, but not that of the couple

The better educated the groom's mother, the higher the chances of an inter-caste marriage.

Only 5.8% of Indian marriages were inter-caste, according to Census 2011, a rate unchanged over 40 years.

Whilst in other countries an increase in education levels correlates with a decrease in endogamous marriages--marriages within a specific social, ethnic or caste group for the purpose of entrenching community boundaries--the education levels of individuals in India appear to have no bearing on the likelihood of marrying someone from a different caste, according to a new study.

The education level of the groom’s mother is the leading determinant of an inter-caste marriage: The better educated the groom’s mother, the higher the chances of an inter-caste marriage.

These are the findings of a 2017 study by the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi, which used data from the latest round (2011-12) of the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS-II) to examine the impact of education on one of India’s most resilient caste-based practices.

This is the first time a study has looked at the impact of education on inter-caste marriages in India, highlighting stark contrasts with other countries. Studies on “out-marriages” have been conducted before in other countries, such as the US and Brazil, but they were on racial and ethnic lines.

The Indian institution of arranged marriages, and consequently the unique decision-making role played by parents in pairing potential spouses, is a significant reason for differences with other countries. Any analysis on education’s impact on the prevalence of inter-caste marriages therefore “must consider parental attributes along with individual ones”, the study said.

Out-marriages have typically been seen as a measure of social cohesion and a key indicator of assimilation between various social groups, particularly in the US.

Marrying outside rigid caste boundaries that an individual is born into remains taboo in most parts of India, which can lead to social ostracism and even inter-family/community violence. This despite attempts--such as enshrining individual rights in the constitution and affirmative action policies--to reduce caste discrimination since Independence.

In recent weeks, media reports of a caste-killing in Telangana sent shockwaves around the country. Pranay Kumar, 23, was attacked in broad daylight with a machete while leaving a local hospital with his pregnant wife. The murder was allegedly arranged by an upper-caste father unhappy at his daughter’s marriage to a Dalit man--he reportedly paid a hitman Rs 15 lakh as the first installment.

Individuals lack agency in their own marriage decisions.... Read More

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