ISSN 2349-7831

International Journal of Recent Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (IJRRSSH)

Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp: (1-4), Month: January - March 2022, Available at: www.paperpublications.org

A Review on Gender Discrimination in Indian

Education System
Sudeep Sarkar
Assistant Professor, Maheshtala College, Kolkata, India

Abstract: Modern Indian education has been started following to the British education system after the fourth
decade of 18th century. Today schools are categorized according to the gender like, girls’ school, boys’ school, and
co-educational school. It is difficult to calculate the number of female administered schools. According to the
conventional concept, boys make noise than the girls in the class room. Teacher expects girls’ should always show
modesty unlike the boys’. So, uneasy behavior from girls’ is unacceptable. Seating arrangement of primary school
divided into two rows, one side is allotted for boys’ and the other side is for girls’. It creates a division among the
children without the awareness of gender. Opinion of educators and teachers make everything to select experiences
in curriculum. Due to the importance of theoretical concept, they don’t give any consideration regarding gender
problem. Teachers’ deep-rooted the concept of social difference regarding profession of men and women is
unknowingly to the girls’. This is hidden in the language of teaching. In school, boys’ and girls’ performed
different type of co-curricular activities. Sewing and other similar type of work is not allotted for boys’. It is clear
that teachers and the parents have to perform major roles together; they need to be more aware to remove the
discrimination in education system of our country.
Keywords: Gender discrimination, School management, Curriculum.

1. INTRODUCTION
Modern Indian education has been started following to the British education system after the fourth decade of 18 th
century. According to the Adams report, Paathshala, Madrasha etc were the main educational organization before the era
of British influenced Indian education system and girls were allowed to receive education from these institutions, but the
number of girls’ students was not large. His report also depicted about a school, named home school. These schools were
for those girls who were not allowed to go out from their house. Females of Tagore family use to be educated this way. In
the year of independence total literacy rate of India was eighteen percent where only nine percent was the literacy rate of
girls’. At that time only one child of every eight children and one girl child of every twenty children was enrolled in
school [2].
Today schools are categorized according to the gender like, girls’ school, boys’ school, and co-educational school. Briefly
most private educational institutions and some government high schools are co-educational. Most of these co-educational
government high schools are setup in village and there are no girls’ schools. Except these schools, all educational
institutions are either for girls’ or for boys’ students. Generally girls have limited opportunity to study high secondary
education.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Present study is based on the previous literatures which are sorted according to the year.
Kılavuz and Karaboğa (2021) found primary school education maintains gender discrimination and creates gendered
prejudices in the minds of students by the processes and practices of primary school.
Onyedikachi and Grace (2021) revealed gender stereotype influences student academic achievement. It should be
discouraged on senior secondary school students by the School Management Board and society.
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Paper Publications
 ISSN 2349-7831

International Journal of Recent Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (IJRRSSH)

Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp: (1-4), Month: January - March 2022, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
SteelFisher, Findling, Bleich, Casey, Blendon, Benson, Sayde and Miller (2019) showed racial/ethnic minority women
are widely experienced discrimination and harassment across multiple domains of their lives.
Sipe, Larson, McKay and Moss (2016) found students are not only aware of gender discrimination, but it has expanded
to include increased concern over gender discrimination against men as well.
Matope (2012) revealed gender discrimination is manifested in the appointments, promotion and assignment of duties
and responsibilities of learning institutions.
Nakpodia and James (2012) showed discrimination of women exists in education due to most of illiterate parents
believe female child can survive without formal education, because eventually she gets married and the husband is
expected to provide her needs.
Tuwor and Sossou (2008) found adult girls who completed even primary education are healthier, more economically
productive, and raise children who tend to stay longer in school.
Objective
According to the review of related literature, there was a paucity of research on gender discrimination in school education
and this study has been planned with the following objectives-
 To find out the issues of gender discrimination in school management.
 To find out the issues of gender discrimination in curriculum.
Data of review
In this study published papers from the year 2008 to 2021 are included and scholar.google.com, base-search.net, and
semanticscholar.org are used as search engines in online searching method to collect data.
School management
In our country Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule had established first girls’ school at Pune in 1848[3].
In Kolkata Drinkwater Bethune and his wife had established Bethune College. Begum Rokeya Sakhawat had established
memorial school for Muslim community girls’ however girls of every community can take education from this school.
But these are small initiatives, which can’t provide the real picture of discrimination regarding girls’ education. It is
difficult to calculate the number of female administered schools. Though, it can be generalized that the number of male
administered school is higher than that of female administered schools.
Gender discrimination in school administration is a part of discrimination in education system. Females may be selected
as a member in school managing committee but it is limited to the city. In very few managing committee of girls’ school,
female member is selected as guardian representative.
Class room management
In a class room, teacher makes some arrangements to maintain easy environment for teaching and learning, which called
classroom management. Good management maintains teaching and learning speed. Classroom management has two
dimensions and these are control in indiscipline, and uses of quality teaching techniques. Monotonous, inactive and
dominated teaching increases indiscipline. Here success of excellent teaching techniques is embedded. According to the
conventional concept, boys make noise than the girls in the class room. However it is not generalized. Usually teacher
expects that the girls’ should always show modesty unlike the boys’. In our country calmed means acceptance of teachers’
word without any objection. So, any type of uneasy behavior from girls’ is unacceptable but for the boys situation is
different and this makes gender discrimination.
Organization of classroom
Primary schools are co-educational. Seating arrangement of this school divided into two rows, one side is allotted for
boys’ and the other side is for girls’. This system is followed from class one and it creates a division among the children
without the awareness of gender. As a result some distance occurs in friendship and it grows gradually according to their
age. But in adolescent this distance disappeared, though severalty of gender is stayed. It is observed that the friendship
among the same gender is more firm than the different gender.

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 ISSN 2349-7831

International Journal of Recent Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (IJRRSSH)

Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp: (1-4), Month: January - March 2022, Available at: www.paperpublications.org

Curriculum
Curriculum has two aspects; these are ethical aspect and subjective aspect. Specifically opinion of educators and teachers
make everything to select experiences in curriculum. Due to the importance of theoretical concept, they don’t give any
consideration regarding gender problem. As a result sufficient biasness is presents in every subject matter. Gender in
textbook is stereotypical. There women are reflected as weak, warm-hearted and caring person; they sacrificed their
happiness for the family [5]. Therefore experiences of workers on social, financial and family problem of women is more
important than the educational theory and analysis of psychology and sociology. It may solve the gender biasness of
curriculum.
Impact of gender on curriculum
In our education system gender inequality problem grows with time. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, District Primary Education
Programme was launched to prevent this problem. As a result some positive changes take place but the main problem
remains. One Girl from every ten girls’ of the poor families of villages completes her primary education and one girl from
every one hundred girls’ reaches in high secondary education level [3]. It is also noticed that the educational quality till
the last class of dropout girls is not up to the mark. Even they forget their learning in small time span. In most of the cases
parents compel them to shun their education. Girls’ looses their honor from the attitude of teachers’, comments and
behavior of male friends. Quality of education in primary school is going downwards. Learning has become paralyzed
without private tuition. Therefore parents of girls’ don’t spend money for the private tuition. They think boys can earn
money for the future. Several studies find most the families allocate resources for education of boys than girls [4], [6],
[13]. These are the bare cause of negligence of girls’ in curriculum and learning.
Language
Teachers’ deep-rooted the concept of social difference regarding profession of men and women is unknowingly to the
girls’. This is hidden in the language of teaching. Such as, Doctor and farmer represents to the male gender. It is observed
language of teaching denotes boys than girls to present any content in classroom. Especially masculine nouns and
pronouns are used where gender of any context is unclear [1]. Most of the time, ‘a person’ word is used to present a
problem in arithmetic class. ‘Person’ word belongs to the common gender but it represents male gender in daily
conversation. If context of an arithmetic problem belongs to the male, then the word ‘person’ is specifying the male
gender. It is clear that not only language of a context, contextual meaning also signify gender discrimination.
Co-curricular activities
In school, boys’ and girls’ performed different type of co-curricular activities. That means sewing and other similar type
of work is not allotted for boys’ as co-curricular activities. If school selects this type of work for them then it will create
social objection and also boys’ will not accept this type of activities. In annual sports this segregation has also crept into
by allotting the different sport event. It is observed that text books also present gender discriminated images regarding
games. Boys perform outdoor games and girls play indoor activities like drawing [1]. Since childhood students get gender
discrimination in co-curricular activities.

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Gender discrimination in behavior of teachers is also observed in classroom. Teachers give more attention either to the
boys or to the girls. Maximum time boys get more attention than the girls’. Teacher says, boys create disturbance, so they
need more attention. At the time of teaching sometimes teacher comments girls’ are talkative, they quarrelling every
time. These comments indicate gender discrimination. In this study researcher gave emphasis on school management,
curriculum and behavior of teachers but other component of education such as aim, attitude of family member and other
educational institutions (i.e. informal educational institution) are not analyzed.
However, it is concluded that gender discrimination exists in Indian education system, especially in school management,
curriculum and in behavior of teachers. Every stake holder like administrators, teachers and the parents must be aware
about their attitude and have to perform major roles together to remove the discrimination in education system of our
country.

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Paper Publications
 ISSN 2349-7831

International Journal of Recent Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (IJRRSSH)

Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp: (1-4), Month: January - March 2022, Available at: www.paperpublications.org

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