Making it in India: Examining Social Mobility in Three Walks of Life

Inequality is rising in India alongside rapid economic growth, reinforcing the need to investigate social mobility. Are children from less well-off sections also able to rise to higher-paying positions, or are these positions going mainly to established elites? This survey of more than 1,500 recent entrants to a variety of engineering colleges, business schools and higher civil services – each of them a highly sought after career destination – finds that class and caste continue to make an important difference. Factors that stand out as significant barriers to entry include rural upbringing and parents’ lack of education. Individuals who have succeeded in surmounting these obstacles have almost invariably been assisted by a relative or friend who motivated and inspired these students, providing them with mentorship along with career information and advice. A way out of the conundrum – namely, that poorer children get poorer education and thus remain poorer in later life – can be explored by investing in role models and information provision.