[...] those claiming that Indians have a special aptitude for mathematics and software programming tend to focus on the educational performance of Indian students in multi-ethnic societies. [...]

[...] To understand better the performance of students of Indian origin in the USA and the UK, it is necessary to consider other factors such as social class (Indians tend to be the most professionalised of all ethnic groups in both countries, with implications for educational attainment), family background (due to immigration policies, Indians in the West tend to come from scientific and technical backgrounds, influencing the subject preferences of their children) and perceptions of the job market (views of endemic racism in the labour market, particularly in the UK, has meant Indians have tended to expend more effort in education generally, and in subjects with greater employability, such as mathematics in particular).

Thus, the notion of some genetic or racial link between Indians and software programming must be tempered by a whole array of social factors. [...]