Disparity and Social Exclusion of Women in Higher Education

Abstract

Education is the most fundamental factor to measure the level of development of a country. Education not only increase knowledge and skills that enable human being to improve economic development but also produces values, ideas, and attitudes which act as the agents of economic and social change.

Today, education is considered as the single most important means for individuals to improve personal endowments, capacity building, subdue constraints and in the process, enlarge their available set of opportunities and choices for a sustained improvement in well-being.

 In India, women are generally characterized by low literacy, ignorance, low income and low social status. Gender based disparity in education is more prevalent among the weaker sections of social system. Education particularly higher education is the only means that can give them the capacity to come out from the vicious circle. 

Key Words:  Advocacy, Constraints, Customs, Disparity, Drop out, Emancipation, Endowments, Enrolment, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), Hypergamous Marriage, Inequality, Patriarchal Exogamy, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Stagnant, Wastage