Is Education The reason Women Are Disappearing From India's Workforce?

Indian girls and women are more educated than ever 바카라� school enrolment numbers are at an all-time high, and women and girls are staying in school longer. Yet, data suggests that women are dropping out of the country바카라�s workforce at an alarming rate. Despite an increase in education and training, estimates suggest that in 2020, only 15 percent of India바카라�s youth entering the labour force will be female.

Traditionally, education is seen as the primary means to social and economic advancement 바카라� particularly in developing countries. If this is not translating into jobs in the 바카라�real바카라� world, what is the purpose of education in India then?

Educating 바카라�ideal바카라� women

The first question to ask here is this: from primary schools to universities, are educational institutions merely reinforcing stereotypes and, consequently, work preferences for women? A highlighted that primary textbooks of the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) reinforce gender stereotypes, often depicting certain types of work as being the domain of one gender. Women were portrayed as being confined to the domestic sphere, and almost exclusively 바카라�teachers,바카라� when they did step out; while men were depicted in a variety  of professions. Meanwhile, in 2018, there were being envisioned at a University in Bhopal.

Interestingly, higher educational attainment also seems to be fuelling its own kind of stereotypes 바카라� resulting in better marriage prospects, not employment. This means that education is a path to marriage, rather than a job. If one considers the 바카라�marriage market바카라� in India, young women today actually seem to be 바카라�,바카라�  in the sense that wives are often more educated than their husbands. This is usually because they have studied, not been able to find jobs, and have, therefore, decided to get married. A quick glance at the matrimonial section of the newspaper will confirm that education seems to have become a basic criterion for marriage across the board 바카라� with several ads for men who are 바카라�seeking smart, slim, working MBA/PG girl바카라�; 바카라�prof, working girl바카라�; and 바카라�good looking, educated homely girl.바카라� With 바카라�educated바카라�, 바카라�homely바카라� and 바카라�convented(!)바카라� often being used repeatedly in these ads, one wonders what Indian society considers to be the purpose of education for women.

Enrolment versus availability

The second question is whether the decrease in female labour force participation is a result of an increased enrollment of women in higher education. In a number of postgraduate degrees (arts, sciences, and commerce) across the country, comfortably. This is good news, right? It means women are staying in school for longer. However, even as these numbers are rising, it is important to note that this is not translating into them eventually entering the workforce. Indeed, in certain states in India, the number of young people (women and men) not in education, training, or employment . Moreover,  while women may account for the majority of students in postgraduate education, the enrollment numbers for 바카라� like B.Tech, M.Tech, Law and MBA programmes 바카라� are skewed against them in favour of men.

Improved literacy rates across the country have led to an exponential increase in qualified potential female workers. Despite this growth opportunity, however, there has because job creation has been largely in the informal sector. Thus, while India바카라�s women are becoming more educated, they are not always able to find jobs that are commensurate with their educational qualifications. Dr. Deshpande with an example, saying, 바카라�A girl who has completed class 10 or class 12 may not want to be a manual worker, because she may feel that she has acquired a certain degree of skill that she can utilise to ends that are more suited to her situation. So education has the potential to raise productivity 바카라� but what if those jobs just aren바카라�t available?바카라�

Skilling and prospects

The third question is that of skills development and whether education is preparing young people for jobs. According to a , over half of all South Asian youth leave school without the necessary skills for 21st century jobs. Confirming this unbelievable fact, a suggested that in 2019, 53 percent of Indian businesses could not recruit for available positions owing to the candidates lacking necessary skills. This highlights the fact that even for the jobs that are available, young people are simply not receiving the right skills or adequate training.

A World Economic Forum suggests that closing the nation바카라�s skills gap could add US$1.97 trillion to India바카라�s GDP by 2028. Thus, the economic implications of India바카라�s youth being unprepared for the modern job market make updating education and adding skilling programmes an urgent need. For young Indian women who are already facing down a host of factors keeping them from the job market, these measures could make a big difference.

Going forward

The mismatches between aspirations, skills, and availability are different parts of a complex puzzle. For those of us with the privilege to believe it, education may be an end unto itself, but we must acknowledge that for the vast majority of Indian women, an education is a path to a life that their mothers never had. Even as we dream big for these women 바카라� the ones who are entering colleges in numbers like never before 바카라� the sobering reality of the situation is that the outcomes of this education are not quite what one would imagine.

(Sonakshi Chaudhry is Research & Editorial Lead at the Women In Labour Podcast. Views expressed are personal.)

This is Part-2 of a five-part series on Women In The Workforce.