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Gender Disparities in Education: an Obstacle in the Empowerment of Women

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Gender Disparities in Education: an Obstacle in the Empowerment of Women
GENDER DISPARITIES IN EDUCATION: AN OBSTACLE IN THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
By
Asst. Prof. Mrs. Vandana C. Kakade
Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of English,
JJT University, Zunzunu, Rajasthan.
Kakadevc@yahoo.co.in
ABSTRACT The present paper focuses on the gender disparities in education which are an obstacle in gender equity and the empowerment of women. Gender equity and the empowerment of women is necessary to bring about the socio-economic development of country. Education is the key to the empowerment of women. Education helps women take advantage of opportunities that could benefit them and their families, preparing them for labour force and helping them understand their legal and reproductive rights. Hence, it is needed to increase women’s access to education and to eliminate gender disparities. To face the global challenges, high literacy rate, gender equity and women’s empowerment is necessary. The objective of this paper is to draw attention to male-female education patterns, differential education and the impact of it on women and to suggest alternatives to combat the existing gender bias practices in education. The scope of this paper is limited to the gender disparities in education in India.

INTRODUCTION : Women education in India plays a crucial role in the all round development of the nation. It is true that formerly women were deprived of education and the benefits that came along with it, but then, things have changed to some extent in recent times. Today the government has introduced various initiative programs for the development of female’s education. Education brings about gender equity and the empowerment of women. Over the past decade, gender equity and the empowerment of women have been explicitly recognized as key not only to the health of nations, but also to social and economic development. Gender equity and women‘s empowerment are two sides of the same coin: progress towards gender equity requires



References: 1) NCERT (1971) : Education and National Development : Report of ' the Education Commission, 1964-66. New Delhi, pp. 316 2) Government of India, Census of India, 2011 3) Dabar, Rainuka. (1998). “Gender Differentials in Education” in Manual for NSS Programme Officers: Women’s Development and Gender Justice. Mohali, Punjab: Brijesh Printers, pp. 113-114.

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