Study reveals that "double jeopardy" affects the aspirations of disadvantaged young women in India

Study reveals that "double jeopardy" affects the aspirations of disadvantaged young women in India

A new study of young participants in a large-scale training programme in India designed to tackle rural unemployment has found that the intersection of two social identities – caste and gender – strongly influences young people’s aspirations and salary expectations. The study was carried out in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand in India.

Aspiration – the desire and drive to achieve a goal – is recognised as influencing an individual’s occupational choices, educational success, and other life outcomes, but it is difficult to measure reliably.

To explore the influence of social identities – those rooted in a person’s community and background – on career expectations and long-term goals, Dr Bhaskar Chakravorty, Dr Sudipa Sarkar, and Dr Clare Lyonette surveyed just under 1,800 participants in the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushal Vikas Yojana (DDU-GKY) skill training programme.

DDU-GKY is part of India’s National Rural Livelihood Mission and works with young people from low-income households in several states of India to improve their employment prospects. The programme focuses particularly on young people from disadvantaged castes and girls.

India’s caste system has deep historical roots and has a strong influence on access to opportunity. The government uses four classifications: Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Other Castes (OC). Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are regarded as the most disadvantaged.

The researchers designed a survey to capture factual information from participants, such as age, gender, education and household income. The questions also covered the “Big 5” personality traits and soft skills associated with labour market success. Finally, the survey asked about earnings before the course, anticipated earnings after the training was completed, and what level of income trainees would like to have. These final questions served as proxies for expectations and aspirations.

The study found that trainees from disadvantaged castes had lower levels of expectation and aspiration than those from the OBC and OC castes: a 23 per cent gap in expectations between trainees from the SC/ST group and those from OC, and a 22 per cent gap in aspirations.

Female trainees had 11 per cent lower expectations and 14 per cent lower aspirations than their male peers, averaged across all caste groups.

However, the most significant gap was seen when an intersectional approach was taken to the analysis.

Women from disadvantaged castes suffered “double jeopardy” and had the lowest levels of expectations and aspirations across all participants – 27 per cent and 30 per cent lower respectively.

The authors said:

“Investigating the link between social group identity and labour market aspirations in a developing country allows us to better understand the roots of social and economic inequality.

“It is clear that action plans to reduce inequality need to take social identities like caste and gender into account, alongside affirmative actions based around income or social class, if we are to see equality of aspiration and a more equal society.”

• Sarkar, S., Chakravorty, B., & Lyonette, C. (2025). Caste, gender and intersectionality in labour market aspirations: evidence from a skill-training programme in India. Oxford Development Studies, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2025.2570943