The Equalising Effect of Marital Exogamy: Intercaste Marriages and the Reduction of Child Nutrition Inequality in India

Abstract

Endogamous marriages in India reflect a socially segregated society based on religion and caste, perpetuating the existing social stratification and inequalities. Caste endogamy contributes to the unequal transfer of social capital and social endowments, thereby reproducing inequalities within and across generations. In this background, the study examined the question of whether intercaste marriages contribute to reducing economic inequality in children's nutrition. We triangulated analyses based on pooled microdata and macro-panel data compiled from the National Family Health Survey and other Government surveys (2005–2021). The Wagstaff's corrected concentration index, panel data random effects regression models and pooled cross-sectional Probit regression model have been used. Findings suggest the continued prevalence of caste-based assortative sorting in the Indian marriage market and wealth-based inequalities in child nutritional status, thereby indicating both strong caste endogamy and health inequalities. However, an increase in intercaste marriage is associated with declining inequalities in the child nutrition indicators: stunting, wasting and underweight. The pathway is established through the reduced economic heterogeneity in populations owing to intercaste marital arrangements and a greater possibility of exchange of resources. Thus, we advance that intercaste marriages lessen caste inequalities in child nutrition in India by narrowing group differences in socio-economic status.