Is gender destiny? Gender bias and intergenerational educational mobility in India

Abstract

This paper provides a theory-based empirical analysis of intergenerational educational mobility in India, focusing on gender gaps, rural–urban differences, and relative importance of parents’ financial and nonfinancial investments. Evidence suggests that the daughters of uneducated fathers face the lowest absolute and relative mobility, irrespective of location. While there is a fast gender convergence in relative mobility in the rural areas, a wide gender gap in absolute mobility persists even in college-educated rural households. In contrast, we find a fast gender convergence in absolute mobility in the urban areas, but a moderate gender gap in relative mobility persists in the college-educated urban households. The gender convergence in absolute mobility for the urban children is largely explained by higher parental non-financial investments in girls compared to boys. In contrast, in the rural areas, the persistent gender gap in absolute mobility is driven by son preference, reflected in parental biases in financial investments against girls, and gender barriers in schools. Patrilineal social norms play a fundamental role, highlighted by the evidence of no significant gender inequality in educational mobility in the matrilineal states.