Mothers' Social Networks and Socioeconomic Gradients of Isolation

Alison Andrew, Orazio P. Attanasio (), Britta Augsburg, Jere Behrman, Monimalika Day, Pamela Jervis, Costas Meghir () and Angus Phimister
Additional contact information
Alison Andrew: Institute for Fiscal Studies, University College London
Orazio P. Attanasio: Cowles Foundation, Yale University, https://economics.yale.edu/people/faculty/orazio-attanasio
Monimalika Day: Ambedkar University
Pamela Jervis: University of Chile
Costas Meghir: Cowles Foundation, Yale University, https://economics.yale.edu/people/faculty/costas-meghir
Angus Phimister: Institute for Fiscal Studies, University College London

No 2261, Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers from Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University

Abstract: Social connections are fundamental to human wellbeing. This paper examines the social networks of young married women in rural Odisha, India. This is a group, for whom highly-gendered norms around marriage, mobility, and work are likely to shape opportunities to form and maintain meaningful ties with other women. We track the social networks of 2,170 mothers over four years, and find a high degree of isolation. Wealthier women and women more-advantaged castes have smaller social networks than their less-advantaged peers. These gradients are primarily driven by the fact that more-advantaged women are less likely to know other women within their same socioeconomic group than are less-advantaged women are. There exists strong homophily by socioeconomic status that is symmetric across socioeconomic groups. Mediation analysis shows that SES differences in social isolation are strongly associated to caste, ownership of toilets and distance. Further research should investigate the formation and role of female networks.

Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2020-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo, nep-hme, nep-net and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Working Paper: Mothers’ Social Networks and Socioeconomic Gradients of Isolation (2020)
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