A strange paradox for Indian women (More education is worsening their freedom and movement)

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 A strange paradox for Indian women (More education is worsening their freedom and movement)

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• India's economic transformation, half : India has surely changed economically a lot, but sadly, that has not impacted the womenfolk substantially. A sure sign of change would be declining inequality in education (male - female).
• A positive sign there : Almost all girls are getting primary education, and as per 2011-12 IHDS (India Human Development Survey), 70% of girls aged 15 to 18 are studying (boys' number is 75%).
• What about labour markets and society? Despite rising education levels, women are constrained by labour market and societal norms, and just not able to achieve anything major.
• NSSO and IHDS data : For India, education and employment in women displays a U-shaped relation. Illiterate women participate the most in workforce, then it drops with primary and secondary education, and then rises sharply with college education.
• Problem with formal jobs : Girls with basic education do not want to take up the farm labour or non-farm manual construction work. But white-collar jobs are fewer, and require longer working hours, and offer little job security in this age of the gig economy. As per 2011-12 survey, we have only 15% women among professionals, managers and clerks.
• What about men : Boys with Class 10/12 education start working as mechanics, drivers, MRs, postmen, repairmen etc. But women mostly don't do it - either employers don't want them, or work conditions are hostile.
• Marriage is the only fate : For young women in India, marriage is the only acceptable fate! Less than 3% of Indian women are single (30-34 yrs age), while that number for Japan is 33% and Sri Lanka is 11%. And in India, women frequently marry less-educated men - what matters is caste, family's economic status and horoscope.
• No other freedom as well : Rising education has not meant that Indian women fare better in terms of independent mobility or greater say in household affairs. There seems to be a great frustration at all levels, with women's aspirations killed.
• Political parties not interested : Women are not a caste! Women are not an economic class, either. Women are only seen as an extension of men in the households.
• Half the voting population is women : The Indian political parties simply ignore this fact. In the US, the 2018 elections for the House of Representatives saw Democrats winning women's votes overwhelmingly. Perhaps a day like that may arrive for India too!
• Summary : Strangely, the higher education levels of women in India are neither translating into greater economic freedom, nor mobility.

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