Where do we stand today????? “When girls are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous “ -Micelle Obama
In recent times, there has been widespread debate on how education is the most effective means in impacting and re-orienting gender stereotypes and traditional gender roles; and on its role in changing traditional mindset in society.Education certainly has the potential to play a key role in gender formation and change. Gender is a socially constructed and intersectional identity: it always intersects with social class, ethnicity and religion, culture, disability, sexuality, age etc. Education itself offers real opportunities to challenge gender stereotypes. India accounts for 30% of the world’s total illiterate population and out of which 70% are women. As per 2011 Census data, women constitute 48% of the total population in India, with a total literacy rate of 53.7% as compared to 75.3% in males. The literacy rate among rural women is 46.1% as compared to 72.9% among urban women; which is still lower than literacy
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These gender-specific ideologies are responsible for the widening the gap in female secondary schooling enrolment. Sexual harassment and violence has also been one of the major constraining factor preventing parents from freely sending their girls to school. Transporting girls to school and back safely, especially where secondary schools and universities are far away from their homes, is a critical things that should be ensured by the state. While initiatives to teach girls self defence or cycling have been widely hailed as critical components of gender-sensitive education, they have not really been taken up and promoted widely through the education