Bridging the Gap: Trends in Inequality in Education among Women in India – Story of Last Three Decades (1992-2021)

Anam Pandoh, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Ashish Singh, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

This study examines the inequality in education among women in India, highlighting socioeconomic and geographical disparities within them. Using data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) across multiple rounds (1992-2021), the study focuses on women over 14 years of age and categorises them by caste, religion, rural-urban residence and geographical regions, employing the Gini Index to assess both within-group and between-group education disparities. Results indicate that while school enrolment has improved over the years, significant portions of women, particularly from SC/ST and Muslim communities, remain without formal education in India. Urban areas show more favourable educational outcomes than rural regions, and younger women tend to have higher educational attainment than older cohorts. Regional disparities are pronounced, with Southern and Western regions performing better educationally than Central and Eastern regions. Within-group analysis reveals higher educational inequality among SC/ST and Muslim women, while between-group analysis highlights the rural-urban divide as the most significant source of inequality in education among Indian women. This comprehensive investigation underscores the persistent educational disparities among women in India (perhaps the first one to do so), emphasizing the need for targeted policies to address these gaps and promote educational equity.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Human Capital, Education, and Work, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Population and Development

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