Women and Intergenerational Mobility in Education : A Micro-Level Study from Weavers’ Community of Varanasi, India

Macro-level studies on intergenerational mobility among women in India suggest that there is a need to further probe certain excluded communities that have a higher likelihood of persistence of educational attainment among women through micro-level studies. The present study investigates the extent and drivers of high/low intergenerational educational mobility among young women (vis-à-vis their mothers) belonging to the weavers’ community of Varanasi, India. Using transition/mobility matrices and mobility measures, along with qualitative methods, the paper builds on a mixed-methods study conducted among 364 households of the weavers’ community from Varanasi. The study shows that the overall intergenerational educational mobility among women (vis-a`-vis their mothers) from the weavers’ community of Varanasi is 0.30 and there is no downward mobility. The qualitative findings further highlight various reasons enabling or preventing high educational mobility in the given context. In conclusion, the paper illustrates several micro-level issues and disparities in intergenerational educational mobility that are not clearly evident through the macro-level studies and further help in making informed policy decisions