Dr Ashwani Kumar
ashwinsociology@cumail.com
Although the term “nepo kids” has existed for years especially in the context of celebrity and elite privilege it took on a powerful new meaning during the recent youth-led political revolt in Nepal. What began as protests against government censorship quickly evolved into a wider rejection of systemic nepotism, with “nepo kids” becoming the symbol of a broken system that favors family ties over merit. This moment made it crucial to understand the term “nepo kids” beyond just pop culture, especially in the South Asian context. In India too, nepotism is deeply rooted not only in Bollywood, where the term first gained traction, but also in politics, business, and bureaucracy. The Nepali protests highlight how public frustration with inherited privilege can become a rallying cry for deeper political and social change across the region.
“Nepo kids,” a term for children who gain advantages through nepotism, has become common in public discussions worldwide. It usually refers to unfair access to jobs or opportunities. In India, however, the situation is much more complicated than simple favoritism. Here, nepotism overlaps with caste, lineage, and cultural norms, influencing not just who gets opportunities but also how society judges competence and merit. To understand this phenomenon, we need to look at privilege as a structural system rather than just a collection of individual advantages.
Inherited privilege shows up in various forms of capital. Economic capital turns wealth into opportunities, often through informal or hidden routes, like internships set up during family gatherings or auditions arranged through personal connections. Cultural capital gives children from wealthy or influential backgrounds the knowledge, tastes, and behaviors needed to navigate elite social settings, from drawing rooms to corporate boardrooms. Social capital offers networks that bypass formal competition, providing introductions, recommendations, and support that first-generation aspirants rarely receive. Symbolic capital, linked to family names and social recognition, grants credibility even before personal achievements are made. Together, these forms of capital create a sense of inevitability around success, making inherited advantages seem normal and rarely questioned.
In India, caste deepens these inequalities. Professional choices are often influenced by caste identity and social expectations rather than personal preference. Children from dominant castes are encouraged or pressured to follow family paths in law, medicine, politics, or academia. Straying from these paths is often seen as betraying their duty. In this context, nepotism is more than just a form of advantage; it acts as a way to maintain caste and class structures. Parents see it as meeting social obligations, while children come to view these expectations as moral responsibilities. This mix of caste, profession, and privilege limits mobility, leaving little room for deviation or merit-based advancement.
The effects of this system go beyond individual families. Elite institutions, including corporate boards, universities, courts, and religious organizations, maintain privilege by passing authority through family lines. Merit is often judged by background rather than performance. In India, nepotism is not just an abuse of the system; it’s a key aspect of it. First-generation aspirants frequently find closed doors, while institutional homogeneity stifles diverse ideas and innovation. This structural exclusion strengthens the idea that competence and leadership are inherited qualities, not the results of talent, effort, or creativity.
Social media exacerbates this issue. Nepo kids grow up under heavy public scrutiny, with their schooling, vacations, appearances, and achievements curated as reflections of family prestige. Their identities are shaped by both privilege and expectation. Success becomes their need; failure or experimentation threatens not just their personal futures but also the family’s social standing. Privilege thus acts as both a resource and a limitation; it opens doors while restricting autonomy, and separated them from larger society, this situation may shrink their social self. It’s a social media that makes larger masses aware of their talent and what type of position they acquired, and in case of mismatch between their talent and position creates a situation of distress among many youth who are deserving and not able to get any important role in society.
This paradox has wider social consequences. Those born into privilege enjoy unseen benefits, yet their social freedoms are limited by inherited expectations. On the other hand, outsiders face systemic barriers that make meritocracy seem like a distant dream instead of a reality. Nepotism reinforces inequality by normalizing privilege, embedding it in cultural traditions, and disguising exclusion under socially accepted norms. Inherited advantages appear natural, while the efforts of those without family connections are dismissed or ignored.
Confronting nepotism requires more than just criticizing wealthy families; it calls for recognizing the structural and cultural systems that support it. Families must allow children the space to fail, explore, and pursue paths independent of family expectations. Institutions need to implement transparent, merit-based processes to break down biases that favor familiar names or backgrounds. Society also must challenge cultural ideas that link family background with ability, legitimacy, or moral worth. While policy changes that promote fairness in education, jobs, and leadership are essential, they won’t be enough without addressing the fundamental social beliefs.
Understanding nepotism as a system based on caste and lineage reveals why inequality lasts in India despite claims of opportunity and merit. It explains why access to certain professions, social circles, and positions of power remains challenging, even as talent grows in the broader population. Until we question the social logic of inheritance, efforts for inclusion may only be symbolic rather than transformative. Separating privilege from caste, lineage, and entrenched cultural norms is crucial for creating spaces where merit, ambition, and creativity truly shape outcomes.
Nepo kids illustrate a larger social issue: the inheritance of advantages that include not just wealth but also social expectations, cultural understanding, and identity formation. Their success, backed by structural systems, shows that inequality involves more than resources; it’s about access, legitimacy, and the hidden pressures from tradition. Fixing this imbalance needs structural change, cultural critique, and a shared commitment to envisioning a society where fate isn’t determined by birth. Until these changes happen, the burden of inheritance will continue to dictate who leads, who follows, and who is left out of the chance for equal opportunity.
(The author, is Assistant Professor of Sociology, UILS, Chandigarh University, Punjab)
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