Arhaan Iyer

High School Finalist, Grade 9
Dallas, Texas

The Vicious Cycle of Women’s Education Disparity

“Nothing bugs me more about our society than the lack of appreciation of education.” These are words that my grandfather lived by. First in his family to attend university, he understood the impact a good education has on one’s life and believed that education is a basic human right. He pushed my mother and her siblings to work hard and fully pursue their dreams. Education has always been important in my family and this philosophy still stands as a core value for me, today.

Like most Indian American kids, education has been a cornerstone of my upbringing. I always understood that hard work is paramount. Also, the Western media’s portrayal of Indian kids solely as nerds, and the expectations to live up to these stereotypes, made it impossible to silence this core piece of who I am. The constant strive for academic success is an integral part of my life, which drove me to correlate my South Asian identity with an idealization of India as a beacon of learning and intelligence. Because of India’s historical reputation, the stark reality of its low female literacy rates came as a shock. The average female literacy rate is 62.3%, while the male literacy rate is 80%. India continues to suffer a gender-based educational disparity. A lack of access to women’s education is by far the most severe form of systemic oppression facing India today, and without solvency for it, we subject women to higher rates of domestic violence, decreased economic opportunity and financial freedom, and generational trauma.

Paraya Dhan: someone else’s wealth or property. This term is often used to describe girls in India. Historically, like many other places, girls in India have always been undervalued and diminished. Women are not often seen as intelligent or capable of work, but rather as vessels for domestic labor, marriage, and childbearing. One of the main reasons girls don’t finish their education is because of child marriage. Their role as a financial bargain between families, to be traded as property, is frequently prioritized before education. In the year 2016, India had the highest number of child marriages in the world with 223 million child brides. Until child marriage is abolished, and women are seen as independently worthy, equal education will remain unfeasible.

Inadequate access to menstrual products and sex education is another leading cause of education inequality. It is reported that nearly 23 million girls drop out of school in India annually due to a lack of access to hygiene products. Menstruation is heavily stigmatized in India and little to no effort is put into proper sex education for girls. Girls are viewed as “impure” while menstruating, which is a social construct that causes many girls to stay home and be deprived of vital education and social-emotional development. Girls have scarce education about hygiene products causing their studies to take a back seat to the fear of ridicule. This is not even to mention the psychological damage resulting from mockery of a natural and uncontrollable biological process. This stigmatization must end to bridge the societal gap in women’s education. As a result of education disparity, joining the workforce is nearly impossible for some women. This is a cruel fate for divorced or widowed women in financial need, or any women seeking independence. Only about 21% of women enter the workforce in India, and even when they do, they earn 70% less than their male colleagues. Without a proper education, women cannot increase their societal standing, and have a chance at gaining sufficient stature and salaries in the workforce. This prevents women from surpassing poverty and following aspirations. Furthermore, as more developing countries significantly increase female equality in the workforce, they feed and grow their economies leaving India inferior. Economic hindrance to women is a hindrance to Indian society at large.

Perhaps one of the worst consequences of inadequate education is significantly increased domestic violence. Over 60% of uneducated women experience abuse in relationships. That number is less than 10% among women with a secondary or higher education. Lacking education makes it infinitely more challenging for women to flee from abusive or violent marriages. Education not only provides women with the social-emotional skills to recognize and defend themselves, but also empowers them to leave the abusive situation by preventing fiscal dependence on their abuser.

The issue of gender-based education inequality in India is severe due to its cyclical nature. Each cause and effect perpetuate an oppressive feedback loop. Women who lack proper education often become mothers to the next generation of women, sparking a cycle where daughters struggle to break societal limitations and complete their education. This lack of educated mothers reduces the number of women advocating for staying in school, leading to insufficient governmental incentives to address issues like menstrual hygiene. Child marriages further hinder educational attainment, as uneducated girls are more likely to become child brides.

This cycle results in women facing barriers to employment, inexplicably trapping them in an inescapable web of abuse and oppression. Fortunately, there are effective ways to help. Activism, such as peaceful protests, is crucial for driving change, and every Indian or American citizen can contribute. Pressure must be placed on the Indian government to address and reform the systems perpetuating inequality. This includes imposing stricter penalties for abuse and illegal child marriages and advocating for improved access to feminine hygiene products. Raising awareness through research, social media advocacy, and engaging with public platforms, as well as urging representatives to involve the United States government in international reform efforts, can amplify impact. Supporting nonprofits which help girls’ education, such as Akanksha Education Fund which provides education to low-income children in India and Educate Girls which provides education to girls in rural communities, is essential. Unshackling India from education inequality will unlock new opportunities and prosperity, transforming it into the epitome of global innovation and learning.