Inter-caste marriages in India: Has it really changed over time?

Caste is an integral component of Indian society . Marriages within the same caste is the norm of the society. Marriages between castes is a difficult and socially unacceptable proposition. The major objectives of the present study are (a) to analyse the extent, pattern and spatial distribution of inter-caste marriages in India and (b) to understand and explore the socio-economic and cultural determinants of inter-caste marriages in India. The study uses the data of nationally representative National Family Health Survey-3(2005-06)) having a sample size of 43102 ever married women and their husbands. All the castes are grouped into three categories and arranged in descending order of caste hierarchy namely Others, OBC(Other Backward Class) and SC(Scheduled Caste). If a woman belonging to higher caste marries to a man belonging to lower caste, then it is considered as an inter-caste marriage and the vice versa is also true. It is found that about 10 percent of the total marriages in India are inter-caste which is quite encouraging and a positive sign of change in the society.