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General Studies 2 >> Governance

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GENDER GAP IN EDUCATION

GENDER GAP IN EDUCATION 

 
 
1. Context
 
The World Economic Forum (WEF) report of 2024 on global gender gaps recently ranked India at 129 out of 146 economies, with a decline in the education sector being one of the reasons for India’s rank slipping a couple of places this year
 
2.Gender gap in Education
 
  • According to the June report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), updated figures in educational attainment indicators have led to a decline in India's gender parity levels compared to the previous year.
  • The report notes that while the enrollment rates for women in primary, secondary, and tertiary education are high, they have only seen modest increases.
  • The literacy rate gap between men and women stands at 17.2 percentage points, resulting in India being ranked 124th in this indicator, with a score of 0.964 in the education category. In contrast, the 2023 report (17th edition) awarded India a perfect score of 1.000 for educational parity, ranking it 26th in that category.
  • The key indicators tracked include enrollment levels in primary, secondary, and tertiary education, as well as the adult literacy rate.
  • It is crucial to consider the corresponding period of the data when interpreting gender parity scores, as changes might reflect updates in the values of the indicators being measured
3.Indian Statistics
  • The Union Education Ministry monitors school and college enrollment data through two major systems: the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) and the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
  • According to the UDISE+ report for 2021-22, 13.79 crore boys and 12.73 crore girls were enrolled in school, with girls making up 48% of the school population. However, this percentage varies at different educational stages.
  • In preschool or kindergarten, girls constitute 46.8% of enrolled children. This increases to 47.8% in primary school (Classes 1 to 5) and further to 48.3% in upper primary or elementary school (Classes 6 to 8).
  • A noticeable dropout rate occurs after Class 8, when free education ends, leading to a gender gap in secondary school (Classes 9 and 10), where girls make up 47.9% of enrolled children.
  • However, girls who continue to secondary education tend to persist: the higher secondary level (Classes 11 and 12) shows a lower gender gap with girls at 48.3% of the enrolled students.
  • This trend extends into higher education, as indicated by the AISHE report for 2021-22. That year, the gross enrollment ratio (GER) for women in higher education was 28.5%, slightly higher than the male GER of 28.3%.
  • Female enrollment in higher education has increased by 32% since 2014-15. Data for 2022-23 from both UDISE+ and AISHE has not yet been published
4.Challenges towards Girls Education
 
  • The most significant impact on enrollment has come from building more schools. When a primary school is located within one or two kilometers of a child's home, parents are more likely to enroll their children, particularly girls
  • There has been enormous growth in the number of schools, especially since the mid-90s, which is when you also saw a spike in the enrolment of girls nationwide
  • In Gujarat, where the government has left the building of secondary and higher secondary schools mainly to the private sector, girls account for only 45.2% of secondary students. This is much lower compared to poorer states like Jharkhand (50.7%), Chhattisgarh (51.2%), Bihar (50.1%), and even Uttar Pradesh (45.4%)
  • Another crucial factor is the presence of female teachers. An adviser on child rights to a state government that has made strides in enrollment states that areas with low enrollment usually have primary schools with only one or two teachers
  • Transportation to and from school can also be a barrier. Initiatives like free bus passes for schoolgirls in states like Haryana, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu, as well as programs providing free bicycles to girls in Bihar and other states, have improved enrollment, although this approach was less successful in Rajasthan.
  • Sanitation issues remain a significant obstacle for girls' education in higher classes, especially after puberty, causing many to drop out after Class 8.
  • Although the Union and state governments have funded the construction of washrooms in schools, there is no funding for cleaning and maintenance, which is often left to unreliable local bodies
  • Several states have effectively narrowed the gender gap in higher classes to the point where concerns have arisen about boys dropping out before finishing school.
  • For example, in West Bengal, girls constitute 55.7% of higher secondary students, and similar trends are observed in Chhattisgarh (53.1%) and Tamil Nadu (51.2%).
  • According to a state government adviser, this may be partly due to the Right to Education Act, which mandates that students cannot be failed until after Class 8.
  • “Girls who reach Class 9 are generally motivated to continue their studies, but some boys who advance to the secondary level and then fail may drop out. There may also be greater pressure on poorer boys to start working,” he explains, cautioning that efforts must be made to ensure boys do not fall behind
5.Way Forward
At the college level, although the female gross enrollment ratio (GER) exceeds that of males, the situation varies significantly by region and field of study. For example, women make up only 42.5% of students in STEM fields from undergraduate to Ph.D. levels, indicating a need to encourage more girls to pursue these areas. Additionally, adult literacy remains an issue, with only 64.63% of women being literate compared to 80.88% of men, according to the 2011 Census data. This underscores the need for improved foundational literacy in schools and increased educational opportunities for rural women to address the gender gap
 
For Prelims: The Periodic Labour Force Survey, Gender Earnings Gap, Labor force participation rate, Claudia Goldin, 
For Mains: 
1. Discuss the factors that influence work hours for women in the labour market, considering the role of social norms and responsibilities. What policy measures can be implemented to address these factors and increase women's working hours? (250 Words)
 
 
Previous Year Questions
 
1. Which of the following statements about the employment situation in India according to periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-18 is/are correct? (UPSC CAPF 2020) 
1. Construction sector gave employment to nearly one-tenth of the urban male workforce in India
2. Nearly one-fourth of urban female workers in India were working in the manufacturing sector
3. One-fourth of rural female workers in India were engaged in the agriculture sector
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 2 only     B.  1 and 2 only           C. 1 and 3 only          D.  1, 2 and 3
 
Answer: B
 

2. Disguised unemployment generally means (UPSC 2013)

(a) large number of people remain unemployed
(b) alternative employment is not available
(c) marginal productivity of labour is zero
(d) productivity of workers is low

Answer: C

3. Which of the following gives ‘Global Gender Gap Index’ ranking to the countries of the world? (UPSC 2017)

(a) World Economic Forum
(b) UN Human Rights Council
(c) UN Women
(d) World Health Organization

Answer: A

4. Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). (UPPSC Civil Service 2019)
Assertion (A): The labour force participation rate is falling sharply in recent years for females in India.
Reason (R): The decline in labour force participation rate is due to the improved family income and an increase in education.
Select the correct answer from codes given below:

Codes: 

A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
B. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
C. (A) is true, but (R) is false
D. (A) is false, but (R) is true

Answer: C

Mains

1. Most of the unemployment in India is structural in nature. Examine the methodology adopted to compute unemployment in the country and suggest improvements. (UPSC 2023)

 
Source: The Hindu

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