Enrolment of Women in Higher Education: A Comparative Study on Women's Equity in Governance and Employment Status in India

Abstract

Many research studies, globally, suggest that a rise in the rates of higher education of women enhances their living standards and decision-making powers. Education has served as a powerful tool for empowering women. Having higher women's representation in governance should enable the empowerment of women. The Gross Enrolment Ratio [GER] of Indian women has shown a steady rise in the past two decades. The GER of women has surpassed men in the age group of 18 to 23 in the year 2018-2019 (All India Survey of Higher Education [AISHE]Reports, 2019). In the year 2019, only 48.20 % of the Indian population are women. India shows a negative trend concerning women entering the workforce despite their increasing literacy rate and GER of women in higher education. In the Indian parliament, only 14.36 % of elected representatives in the lower house (The Lok Sabha) are women in the year 2020 (www.loksabha.nic.in). These statistics raise an important question on whether the efforts taken to empower women are yielding the intended results in terms of their equity in workforce and governance. This study is an analysis of the relationship between the enrolment of women in higher education and literacy level of women with their representation in governance and the workforce in India.