Educational Inequality in Haryana: a Study of Gender Differences in Learning
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© Kamla-Raj 2019 J Sociology Soc Anth, 10(1-3): 111-120 (2019) PRINT: ISSN 0976-6634 ONLINE: ISSN 2456-6764 DOI: 10.31901/24566764.2019/10-1-3.298 Educational Inequality in Haryana: A Study of Gender Differences in Learning Kavita1, Anju Sharma2 and Ved Parkash3 1Department of Political Science, M.D. University, Rohtak, Haryana, India 2Department of Law, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India 3Department of Political Science, Government College, Chhara, Jhajjar, Haryana, India KEYWORDS Awareness. Disparity Index. Gender Gap. Literacy. Socio-economic Factors ABSTRACT Literacy or education is an essential indicator to judge the societal, cultural, and fiscal advancement of the society to upgrade the quality of life at local, national and global level. It is mandatory for every citizen of the nation as defence from unawareness and backwardness. It performs as luminosity for all in a shadowy space. So, the significance of education for a human being has been continuously increasing. However it varies at different levels because of influence of an assortment of factors related to the society, religion, sex, caste, economic status. The present paper deals with the existing differences in educational attainment to the male-female population in Haryana based on secondary data obtained from the Census of India and Primary Census Abstract of Haryana 2001 and 2011. The gender disparity of literacy has been calculated by the disparity index. It has been found that there is a wide gender difference in literacy rate at the district level in the state. In more than half of the districts, the disparity index is high. The male literacy rate is found higher compared to females in all districts because of more opportunities, awareness as well as accessibility to schooling. INTRODUCTION ment, education is necessary for the generation of optimistic and gracious mutuality and liberal- Education always wishes for goodness to ly nurturing of the vital population phenomena all and not only benefits to its achiever directly (Chandna 2004). Undoubtedly, the level of edu- but also benefits the surroundings in a circui- cation signifies to the social and economic ad- tous way due to its constructive externalities vancement of any country which not only en- and brim over impacts (Thomas et al. 2001; Tilak hances to earning possibilities through the gen- 2008). It is one of the most responsive cursor of eration of better and more employments but also the socio-economic and cultural environment of upgrades the living standards by tightening the humanity. It is the heart of basic education which gender-based nepotism. Universally, it is accept- determines the status of social decorum for ev- ed the fact that ‘culture of equality’ can be eryone and ensures sustainable development brought only through education but when these (Sule and Barakade 2012). An appropriate pro- rays of the knowledge are directed or preserved cess of learning not only empowers the society only for one slice of demography, then it nour- through the enhancement of knowledge, profi- ishes to autocracy and dominance. Literacy is ciency, dignity, the realization of liability towards not only the course of acquiring knowledge but constitutional rights and obligations but also it is continuous processing of learning and for- communicate inner spirit to countenance repres- warding it to next one so that a non- vicious and sion, mortification and injustice. The old dictum non- exploitative social and economic arrange- “Vidya Bihin Pashu” in Sanskrit signifies that ment can be obtained (Sharma and Kavita 2019). illiterate person is identical to an animal without It is also one of the main three components of horns and tail and burden on the earth (Naik the Human Development Index (HDI) and strong- 1979). As an important aspect of social develop- ly affects the rest two, that is, life expectancy Address for correspondence: and per capita income. It helps in the oblitera- Dr. Ved Parkash tion of poverty and psychological seclusion with Department of Political Science the cohesion of nonviolent and sociable rela- Government College, tions in the entire communal structure. It has Chhara 124504, Jhajjar, optimistic and close association with some vital Haryana, India E-mail: [email protected] events (low fertility, mortality, morbidity, improve- 112 KAVITA, ANJU SHARMA AND VED PARKASH ment in health services) which are responsible shows the stern ignorance to this better half. No for better shaping the life of either an individual doubt, the gender biases in education exists or collective through the recognition of their own everywhere, whether it is opportunities and af- potential and qualities (Sharma and Kavita 2019; fordability for school enrollment or attainment Akthar et al. 2014). Though education directly of any position in learning. As compared to does not generate progression in society yet its males, females have fewer prospects of educa- lack can be a hindrance in the development pro- tion from initial education to completion of any cess. In intercontinental usages, the capability level. According to Tinker and Bramsen (1975), of reading and lettering to a simple message in the negative cultural stances, fewer scopes and any vocabulary is termed as literacy. The UN significance of girls’ education in an established Department of Educational, Scientific and Cul- monetary arrangement of a nation and the ways tural Organization (UNESCO 2006) has defined of school teaching are three major identified fenc- it in a spacious sense in terms of the ability of es that confine the educational availability and identification, comprehending, interpretation, accessibility to females (Finn et al. 1980). Al- imagination, communiqué, multiplication and though education has been stated a fundamen- application of written or printed material associ- tal right to everyone in context to India, several ated with any verbal communication. In Indian social and pecuniary determinants as well as to context, the definition and measurement meth- community and family stances entrenched in cultural standards have eternal control regard- ods of literacy vary across various sources and ing the specification of female learning prospects organizations as National Sample Survey Orga- (Desai et al. 2010). nization (NSSO), National Literacy Mission Though as being the country of numerous (NLM), National Family Health Survey (NFHS) religions, races, castes, cultures and population and Census of India where the census defini- size, the attainment of the reputable level of lit- tion is found extensively appropriate and most eracy particularly in female population has al- commonly cited (Dutta and Sivaramakrishnan ways remained a challenge for India yet the na- 2013). The census enumeration explains that a tion’s efforts to deal with this issue are admira- person (above the age of seven years) who can ble (Mcdougall 2000). Along with numerous read and write with understanding to a plain ongoing plans and programmes, recently the subsection written in any language is termed as Indian government has launched special camp- literate. This is a permissive description of liter- ing with a title cum slogan of ‘Beti Bachao-Beti acy where there is no compulsion of attaining Padhao’ with the motive of improvement in sex ceremonial or certified education to be a literate. ratio and female literacy. Though in recent years, A visor person who can read Braille script is the male-female differentiation in literacy has also treated as literate (Census of India 2011). been continuously tightening downward due to Women are the founder segment of the soci- slow but sure disappearance of various stum- ety and they not only participate themselves in bling blocks resistant to female literacy yet there the development process of a society or a na- is a long way ahead. tion but also help in intensifying the civilized milieu in whole. It is generally saying about the Objectives girl child that if we provide schooling opportu- nities to a female baby, she will educate several The present work aims to look for the follow- members of two families (her own and in-law’s). ing objectives: A nation will progress only when the female is 1. To examine the temporal progress of litera- treated and educated equally as men (Sharma et cy in the state with a comparison of India al. 2018; Azim 2005). It is a general perception from 1971 to 2011. also that as compared to illiterate, a literate moth- 2. To inspect the existing gender-based ine- er can ensure better prospects of her children qualities in literacy at the district level in (Sharma and Kumar 2018).The existing gender Haryana. gap and discrepancy in learning point towards 3. To identify the responsible factors behind the socio-economic status of women. The high the spatial variation of literacy rate in the pervasiveness of female illiteracy in the society study area. J Sociology Soc Anth, 10(1-3): 111-120 (2019) EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY IN HARYANA 113 METHODOLOGY tension of 27040’ to 290 42’ Northern latitudes and 740 54’ to 770 40’ Eastern longitudes. It came The study is based on secondary data or into existence on the 1st of November 1966. It information obtained from Primary Census Ab- covers an area of 44,212 square kilometres which stract, Haryana 2001 and 2011. The gender dis- comprises the 1.34 percent of the total area of parity has been calculated by using modified the country (Fig. 1). (Kundu and Rao 1986) Sopher’s disparity index (1980): RESULTS AND DISCUSSION x 100-x Sopher’s method D =log 2 + log 1 s x 100-x 1 2 Literacy Progress in India and Haryana x 200-x Sopher’s method D =log 2 + log 1 s Education pays the highest profitable returns x1 200-x2 Where D denotes gender disparity index, x to the economy along with minimizing the pov- s 1 erty and if this educational investment is done indicates the per cent of literate females where x2 is the percentage of literate males.