Gender disparity: Education and child sex ratio

Abstract

The last census was a centre of debate throughout the country and abroad among the sociologists and population demographers. The centre of the debate was enumeration of caste would interfere with the ‘integrity’ of the population count or raise the feeling of inequality. But what revealed from census 2011 provisional data was more shocking and unexpected. The child sex ratio (CSR) which has dropped from 927 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001 to an all-time low of 914 in 2011. Practices leading to fewer girls in the 0-6 age group have been spreading more thinly. The circle is widening in most of the states and union territories. It was shame for the humanity in the world of liberalization, multiculturalism and feminism. This is an important indicator for existing inequality between men and women and their low status in Indian society. Perhaps, no one pretend the murder of girl child in the country before and after they born, is on the rise. Census 2011 also reported the female gain in literacy more than men. Instead of increase in female literacy rate over two decades their social status is not increasing as desired. Moreover, with the increase in literacy, the child sex ratio declines. It seems that education has not brought wisdom. It seems that ‘knowledge’ has played evil by strengthening by patriarchy mindset in the Indian society.