Women’s Role in Education in India

Education is considered as the most important tool for empowering women in society. It is not only limited to developing the personality of an individual, but also plays an important role in economic, social and cultural development. The UNESCO put its effort in order to achieve the equal opportunity of education regardless of age, gender, race or any other difference in social and economic status.

Causes of Low Literacy Rate in India

A number of studies have revealed that uneducated women have high-level morality, low potential for earning, poor dietary status and little independence in the household. The lack of education also has a drastic effect on health and well-being of the kids. In India, the infant mortality rate was negatively related to the mother’s educational level. In addition, the absence of education can bring a negative change in the country’s development.

Statistics

Women’s education is a multi-faceted factor that can be held responsible for the low rate of education among women in India. The factors like social, demographic, political and economic are the backbone of low or high literacy rate. The low acceptance of girls in schools is one of the main reasons, which hurdles in the way of women’s liberation in India. According to reliable sources, 50% of all girls have never been to school. Whereas, two out of ten girls of the age 6 to 11 years have not yet enrolled in schools.

Factors Involved

The dropout rate is another factor that prevails in India, especially in low-lying areas, slums and the tribal areas. According to sources, the dropout rate of girls is almost twice as that of boys. Another cause of India’s lack of literacy is that females are considered as a burden on the family and believed to be inferior to that of males. In the majority of families, girls play the role of second mother by taking on the responsibilities such as looking after siblings, firewood collection, bringing fodder, bringing water, cattle handling and cooking. In some parts of India, parents discourage the girls’ education due to sexual harassment and dishonor.

Women’s Roles in the Education System

The role of women in the education system can play a big part in the society. The factors like cultural, social, political and technological changes in the world has revolutionized the education and social life of women. If schools for female raise human capital, economic growth and productivity as that of male schooling, the women’s disadvantage in education is economically wasteful. Studies have shown that the rate of economic growth from women’s education matches with those from men’s education.

Female education will bring improvement in child’s health. This is due to the fact that the well-educated mother must know the importance of hygiene and healthy food. All this sinks child death, which means that a family will plan for the birth of the babies instead of facing premature death. One thing that can be seen through female’s education is that they are married at a later age, which means low fertility and less birth rate.