Intergenerational Social Mobility and Gender Equality Status in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Gender disparity remains a critical concern in sociological research and global policy discourse. In alignment with social mobility theories, the elimination of gender inequality has gained international attention, exemplified by the World Economic Forum’s Global Social Mobility Index (GSMI). Although gender equality is a core objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), its formulation from a social mobility perspective remains underexplored in the context of Bangladesh. This study aims to examine the impact of intergenerational social mobility on gender equality in Bangladesh. Using an explanatory research design, the study develops a social mobility model of the Gender Inequality Index (GII) and employs a household survey conducted through a multi-stage sampling technique. Findings indicate that the downward socioeconomic status (SES1) of parents reinforces gender inequality, whereas the upward mobility (SES2) of their children contributes to its reduction. The study concludes that fostering upward social mobility could be instrumental in addressing gender inequality across future generations in Bangladesh. These findings hold consistent across varied datasets, sample frames, and model specifications.