Trans.Inst.Indian Geographers ISSN 0970-9851 Scheduled Caste Occupational Mobility: A Study in Askaranpur Magrohani Village of Sirathu Block in Kaushambi District Falak Butool, Lucknow, U.P. Abstract Occupational mobility actually modifies the real labour income and in-turn changes the socio- economic profile of an individual or a family. The occupational mobility may act as a catalyst in case of scheduled caste upliftment because they are subjugated since time immemorial. They are still engaged in low ranked fixed occupations. If they will be able to show upward occupational mobility then their social and economic status will surely be improved. But such studies on occupational mobility of scheduled caste population are meager. Thus in the present work an attempt is made to study occupational mobility and immobility of scheduled caste population. Regional analysis of occupational mobility is necessary for rational planning and legitimate minimization of regional disparities to foster a healthy and balanced development. From the results it is clear that a small proportion of scheduled caste workers shifts from agricultural sector to construction sector and service sector in the second and third generation of the selected area (fig2&3). This shows upward intergenerational occupational mobility among the scheduled caste population of Askaranpur Magrohani village of Sirathu block in Kaushambi District. Keywords: Occupational Mobility, Scheduled Caste Workers, Askaranpur Magrohani Village, Sirathu, Kaushambi Introduction distinctiveness as the centre of social In recent years issues like discrimination purpose. The empirical studies on market especially caste discrimination and social discrimination will give more visibility to exclusion have been discussed extensively research on discrimination. The standard in India. However, while the linkages economic theory of discrimination implies between caste and society have been studied that market discrimination will generate widely but the interface between caste and consequences that adversely affect overall economy requires little more attention. The economic efficiency and lower economic economic interpretation of the caste system growth. Market discrimination in terms of is fixed economic and social right to each occupational immobility will lead to failure individual. According to Ambedkar, 1936 of the market mechanism, which in turn unlike many other societies, the Hindu induces inefficiency due to less-than-optimal social order governed by the caste system allocation of labour and other factors among does not recognize an individual and his firms. Thus factor immobility brings gross Transactions | Vol. 40, No. 1, 2018 | 83 inefficiency in resource allocation and in Kambourov and Manovskii ,2004. The economic outcome (Ambedkar, 1936, sociologist conceived that, as the movement 1978b). The Indian economy has witnessed from one occupational category to another, substantial structural change over the last the person’s category consists with the social three decades. First employment generation and cultural prestige. has shifted from agriculture to services. A micro level study on occupational Second, a rapid increase in the introduction mobility of scheduled caste is done by of new information based technologies Wilson in 2004. In this study, he has analysed has occurred since 1990. Third, this has the effect of the change of agricultural accompanied by substantial adjustments in techniques, poverty, outmigration and many operations and organizational re-structuring other factors on the occupational mobility of of agriculture. Thus this structural change scheduled caste population of two selected has brought a magnificent change in the villages. Caste wise occupational mobility occupational structure of India and enhanced in India has been studied by Majumder, the individual as well as national income. 2010. In this work he has found that only Occupation which affect our belief, few castes among the scheduled caste values and preferences, and thereby our people are showing upward occupational choice is a vital factor for the economic mobility. progress of any community. Thus occupation Here occupational mobility which is one of the best indicators of class, simply means the ability of the individual because people tend to agree on the relative to change job after the acquisition of a new prestige they attach to similar jobs (Karade, skill (Maythew, 2005) may be useful in 2009). Those at or near the top rung of the improving their socio-economic status as it prestige ladder usually have the highest changes the real labour earning as studied income, the best education, and the most by Parrado, Cancer and Wolff, 2005. The of the power. According to Gidden, 2009 impact of occupational mobility in Albania a famous sociologist occupation is the is studied by Carletto and Kilic in 2009. most critical factor in an individual’s social However Behrman, and Taubman in 1985 standing, life chances and level of material have studied intergenerational earning comfort. Individuals in the same occupation mobility in the United States. Corak, tend to experience similar degrees of and Heisz in 1999 have worked upon the social advantage or disadvantage, maintain intergenerational earning and income comparable lifestyles, and share similar mobility of Canadian men. Hnatkovska, opportunities in life. The people try to shift Lahiri, and Paul in 2011 have worked upon from one job to another job depending upon the impact of caste on labour mobility. their circumstances and this shifting of jobs Haider, and Solon in 2006 have worked upon is called occupational mobility. Occupational life-cycle variation in association between mobility is defined as the percentage of current and life time earnings. currently employed individuals who report a current occupation different from their most The stickiness of scheduled caste people recent previous report of an occupation, as with their traditional unclean occupation is 84 | Transactions | Vol. 40, No. 1, 2018 responsible for their sluggish occupational Database and Methodology mobility and in turn for their slow socio- The present study is based on primary economic growth. If they will be able to show data generated by comprehensive survey upward occupational mobility then their of scheduled caste population in the social and economic status will surely be Askaranpur Magrohani Village of Sirathu improved. But such studies on occupational block of Kaushambi district carried out mobility of scheduled caste population during April 2017. This rural survey are meager. So in the present study the consisted of the 25 percent of households occupational mobility of scheduled caste of scheduled caste population in the village. population is dealt at a village level. The The data regarding the occupational selected village is Askaranpur Magrohani characteristic of four generations of in Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh in scheduled caste population is obtained to India. Thus this kind of studies will grove find out the intergenerational occupational the geographical literature about the meager mobility. However, only three generations availability of studies on occupational are considered to find out the inter- mobility of scheduled caste population. generational occupational mobility because This study will surely be helpful in the children of the fourth generation are improving the socio-economic status of not lying in the working age. They are this downtrodden segment section of the below 14 years. In the intergenerational Indian society who accounts for about 16 occupational mobility the occupational percent of the total population of India 21 structure of total workers of a generation is percent population of Uttar Pradesh and 70 compared with the occupational structure percent population of the selected village of the workers of its previous generation Askaranpur Magrohani. and finally its percentage is calculated. However respondents are not changing their occupations over different period of Objectives times so no intra-generational occupational To meet out the current problem following mobility can be calculated. Apart from it objectives are formulated. data regarding the demographic and socio- i. To explain the occupational mobility economic characteristics are also obtained among the scheduled caste population through this household survey. of Askaranpur Magrohani village. ii. To find out various determinants of occupational mobility of scheduled caste population in Askaranpur Magrohani Village. iii. To analyse the socio-economic condition of scheduled caste population in Askaranpur Magrohani village. Transactions | Vol. 40, No. 1, 2018 | 85 Fig. 1 : Location Map of Study Area 4. Discussion a. Intergenerational Occupational i. Types of Occupational Mobility Mobility Jhilam, Majumder and Rajarshi, 2010 in In the inter-generational occupational their work they have observed that advance mobility, the worker changes their classes are showing vertical occupational occupation compared to the occupation of mobility, whereas, excluded classes are their fathers (Miller, 1960). In the inter- showing much of their occupational mobility generational occupational mobility, it should in lateral direction. Occupational mobility is be examined whether father influences studied in different manner and according occupational position of the son / daughter. to their nature they are catagorised into From the table 1 it is clear that in the first following groups. generation