“If you educate a man you educate an individual, however, if you educate a woman you educate a whole family. Women empowered means mother India empowered”. – PT. JAWAHARLAL NEHRU.
Gender as a category needs to be seen within larger social, regional and locational context. Socio-economic inequalities and gender-relation promotes/impedes girls ability to go through schooling. Cultural beliefs & practices and regional characteristics also play an important role.
Women education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. The Constitution of India empowers the state to adopt affirmative measures for prompting ways and means to empower women.
- The female literacy rate is considerably low in India compared to world average.
- Female enrolment in colleges is up from 47.6% in 2017-18 to 48.6% in 2018-19, the All India Survey on Higher Education found.
- In Uttar Pradesh, there are 90,000 more women than men in higher education.
- The biggest transformation has taken place in rural India where in 2016, 70% of 18-year-olds were already in college.
- The enrolment gap between males and females in the formal education system increases with age.
- There is a wide gender disparity in India’s performance on literacy with a difference of around 20 percentage points between male and female literacy rates.
- There is a drastic drop in the percentage of women from the doctoral level to the scientist/faculty position.
- Educating the girl child must be a necessity for the overall development of the country as women play an essential part in the all-round process of the country.
- Education is milestone of women empowerment because it enables them to respond to the challenges, to confront their traditional role andchange their life.
- Education also brings a reduction in inequalities and functions as a means ofimproving their status within the family and develops the concept of participation.
- Promotes gender equality.
- Improves India’s literacy rate
- Alter the regressive nature of the society.
- Educated women are a force for change.
- They are likely to marry later and have fewer kids.
- Educated women can also help in the reduction ofinfant mortality rate and growth of the population.
- Female education has a significant impact on the development of future generations as they have a direct role to play in their child’s education.
- If more women did paid work, India’s national income would rise dramatically.
- The education develops the idea of participation in government, panchayats, public matters etc for elimination of gender discrimination.
- The lack of education among women prevents their participation in the workforce, thus hindering the country’s development.
- More girls are studying, but they are not necessarily landing more jobs.
- This is due to importance of education for improving marital prospects as well as higher prestige attached to households which keep women out of labour force
- Female labour force participation has plunged to 23.3% according to the 2018 Economic Survey.
- Science, technology, engineering, and medicine –together known as ‘STEM’ fields –suffer from lack of women, especially in India.
- India will have the world’s youngest population by 2022 and the women of the country will play a definitive role in devising the country’s future.
- Women need the 3C’s Confidence, Capabilities, access to Capital. Men need to understand that women are their equals.
- Government policies should focus on behavioural changes that make female employment more acceptable in the society
- Government schemes must target the fundamental cultural and social forces that shape patriarchy.
- Communication programmes on gender equality in secondary education to help students imbibe equitable gender norms.
- Government agencies, universities, and society must work together to ensure that women achieve their full potential.
