In India’s higher education ecosystem, 58 percent of teachers are male, with Bihar having the most skewed gender representation

It is undeniable that women are massively overrepresented in the teaching profession. According to education department statistics, women make up more than 80% of all teachers in kindergarten through high school. The gender divide is most visible in elementary and middle schools, where women make up more than two-thirds of the teaching staff. But why, we wonder? Is it just a stereotype, or are there other factors at play that go beyond pigeonholing roles? According to economic theory, the most significant contributor to the imbalance has been pay scale distortion.

The proportion of women in school teaching is fairly high as a result of social values and government policies. According to DISE data from 2012-13, women make up about half of all primary school teachers and about 40% of all secondary school teachers in India (data for regular or permanent rather than contract teachers). According to previous DISE observational studies for 2008-09, women make up 66.15 percent of primary school teachers in urban areas and 37.2 percent of primary school teachers in rural areas. The question is whether women’s numerical superiority in the field leads to greater gender equality. This isn’t always the case, unfortunately.

As a result of what happens in educational institutions, boys also gain influence in society. To begin with, the assumption that a male would be physically stronger than a female reinforces males’ belief that they have an advantage over their female peers and can exert dominion over them. Second, since parents are more likely to allow a boy to come back late than a girl, girls are not allowed to stay back in school for functions or practises. This eliminates a plethora of chances they would have had if they had been able to stay a little longer at school, work, etc. As a result of these opportunities, power is accumulated.

Our education system has remained unchanged despite the implementation of several initiatives, due to a variety of reasons, one of which is that teachers are not properly educated. A gender responsive classroom is hampered by a shortage of qualified teachers. Furthermore, even though teachers are educated, the majority of the country’s teaching programmes neglect gender studies. Teachers are ill-equipped to handle gender-sensitive textbooks. The curriculum has been revised, but the Bachelor of Education syllabus has not changed. Teachers must recognise the value of creating a welcoming and non-threatening learning atmosphere in which all students will excel. Many people praised the National Education Policy for its efforts to promote gender equality. Its proposals included establishing a gender equality fund to provide girls with high-quality education. It aimed to achieve 100 percent female participation and close the gender gap in higher education. “Changing mindsets and halting harmful practises to promote gender equality and inclusion; instilling girls’ leadership capacity to help build current and potential role models, and strengthening dialogue with civil society to share best practises and lessons learned,” according to the draught policy.

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