According to U.S. News, India is ranked the fourth worst country for providing gender equality. The idea that men are stronger and more capable while women are weak and belong in the house dates back to ancient India. Today we will cover gender roles and how they affect education, household duties, and jobs.
Education. It’s such a vital role for anyone’s future. Education leads us to discover what we are truly interested in and what jobs we want to pursue. However, in India, the number of women pursuing higher education is unfortunately low. We understand that India is advancing and women are continuing higher level studies, but education rates are still low and it is important that we bring light to this issue. We predict that Gen Z will be the change that India needs.
*Most statistics are from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and from the years 2011-2016*
Let’s dive into step one of education: literacy. Per distribution of 1000 persons, 320 females were not literate, compared to 165 men (2014). It’s disappointing to see that many women are not even given the minimum of being taught to read. What surprised us was to find out that per 1000 persons, the dropout reason for “not interested in education” was higher for men than women. In fact, the dropout reason for “unable to cope up with studies” was also higher for men than women. The problem is that women are robbed of this opportunity to learn, even though they are more interested than men. Another reason for dropping out of school is because of the participation in domestic activities, also known as housework. 297 females per 1000 have to drop out of their studies because of this reason, compared to only 48 men. And of course, we cannot forget the most obvious reason for drop out: marriage. 0 men drop out of school because of marriage. Zero. Marriage never gets in the way of their higher education, but why does it for women? How is it fair that many women are required to dropout because of school because traditional values point towards the idea that housework is more important than an education? We are not machines. We have a greater purpose in life than to carry a child, cook, and clean.
India’s gender roles are even present in what each gender decides to study. 38.7 females per 100 males study Engineering/Technology and 157.1 females per 100 males study Medical Sciences. Medical Sciences is typically viewed as a “caretaker” role, such as a nurse. Even in the USA, seeing a male nurse is not common and in TV shows, male nurses are usually made fun of for having such a “feminine” position. Engineering too is a field in the United States that many women don’t step into. Engineering is seen as a “masculine” position because it requires a lot of challenging work and an intellectual thought process. Women are scared off from the Engineering field because men can intimidate them, especially since there are so many more of them.
Women should not be deprived of the opportunity to learn. Education is so enriching and beneficial. A girl should be allowed to study whatever she would like and nothing should get in the way of her education. These challenges are often found in rural India, however, they are not uncommon in urban areas of India.
In traditional Indian families, men are known for doing all of the “dirty work” while women do all the household chores. When a woman gets married, she is expected to move away from her family and move in with her in-laws. Indian women are expected to do all sorts of household jobs such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and raising their children. This is because of the cultural expectation to prioritize household duties over working in the labor force. According to an article by The Independent, a British online publisher, a survey done in 2016 showed that around 40%-60% of men and women believed that women should not work if the husband earns a decent salary. Additionally, The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) conducted a study on opinions about gender roles, where it found that only 16% of Indian men said that they had a role in domestic matters such as washing clothes, preparing food, or cleaning the house. They also found that Indian men were among the least supportive of equitable relationships and roles between men and women. While the women complete their household chores, men usually go to their jobs. One would think that these stereotypes and cultural expectations would change overtime, however, that is not completely true. Although the rate of women in the labor force has increased since the 1950s, that rate has begun to decline. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “The labor force participation rate of women increased throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and peaked at 60.0 percent in 1999. Over these four decades, the women's labor force participation rate increased even during several economic downturns. Since the midpoint of the Great Recession in 2008, the rate has further declined by 2.8 percentage points to 56.7 percent in 2015. BLS projects that this rate will continue its decline and fall by 0.9 percentage point to 55.8 percent in 2024.” Unfortunately the idea that men should work and women should stay home still exists today. When we have gone to India, both of us have seen the male figures in our families not contribute to doing any household chores. When a man is seen doing a simple task of cutting vegetables, it can be seen as a sign of weakness. A statistic from Facts and Details states that, on average the father works 56 hours a week (when he can find work) and the mother works 84 hours doing chores around the home. If the woman in a family works for a greater amount of time, why are men still considered superior?
Coming from Education, without it, it is difficult to receive a job. Attached below is data from the previous census and the percentages of women and men participating in the workforce per state.
The rate is significantly lower for women in each state and we discovered that the wage gap is lower as well. Below is another table with data of wage distribution per state.
Almost all states pay women at leas 100 INR less than men. The United States faces the same issue when facing the same topic.
Unlike in America where women earn about 82% of the average man’s salary, women in India earn 65% of what their male colleagues earn for performing the same work.
Today in India, it is more common for girls to complete their education. They are aware of the importance of being independent. Even many parents support their daughters to go out and finish their education. However, the very traditional mindset discussed today has still not been eliminated in all areas of India, especially rural areas.
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