Connected but Segregated: Social Networks in Rural Villages

TL;DR

This study examines social network structures in 75 villages in India, revealing strong segregation along caste and sex lines despite dense connectivity, which impacts health intervention dissemination.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence of social segregation in rural Indian villages and highlights the influence of caste and sex on network community formation.

Findings

Villages are highly segregated at the community level.

Segregation is primarily along caste and sex lines.

Networks are densely connected despite segregation.

Abstract

There is an increased appreciation for, and utilization of, social networks to disseminate various kinds of interventions in a target population. Homophily, the tendency of people to be similar to those they interact with, can create within-group cohesion but at the same time can also lead to societal segregation. In public health, social segregation can form barriers to the spread of health interventions from one group to another. We analyzed the structure of social networks in 75 villages in Karnataka, India, both at the level of individuals and network communities. We found all villages to be strongly segregated at the community level, especially along the lines of caste and sex, whereas other socioeconomic variables, such as age and education, were only weakly associated with these groups in the network. While the studied networks are densely connected, our results indicate that the villages are highly segregated.