Mothers’ Social Networks and Socioeconomic Gradients of Isolation

Abstract

Social connections are fundamental to human wellbeing. We examine the social networks of mothers of young children in rural Odisha, India. Gendered norms around marriage, mobility and work likely shape this group’s opportunities to form and maintain ties. We track 2,170 mothers’ networks over four years and find a high degree of isolation. Wealthier women and women from more-advantaged castes and tribes have smaller networks than their less-advantaged peers, primarily because they know fewer women within their own socioeconomic group. There exists strong, but symmetric, homophily by socioeconomic group. Socioeconomic differences are associated with toilet ownership and labor force participation.