Only 5.8% of Indian marriages were inter-caste, according to Census 2011, a rate unchanged over 40 years.

Whilst in other countries an increase in education levels correlates with a decrease in endogamous marriages--marriages within a specific social, ethnic or caste group for the purpose of entrenching community boundaries--the education levels of individuals in India appear to have no bearing on the likelihood of marrying someone from a different caste, according to a new study.

The education level of the groom’s mother is the leading determinant of an inter-caste marriage: The better educated the groom’s mother, the higher the chances of an inter-caste marriage.

These are the findings of a 2017 study by the