Chandoo 1

Badriya M. Chandoo
College Writing 109C
Short report
October 18, 2017
Gender Inequality in India
Introduction
Gender equality the equal treatment of individuals despite their gender is not just a basic
human right, but also a foundation for a peaceful and prosperous world, as women and girls
represent half the population. The United Nations (UN) is committed to terminating gender
inequality because providing women and young girls with access to education and health care
among other things will be beneficial for societies around the world and humanity at large
(Goal 5, 2015). The UN is trying its best to accomplish its goals, but the implementation of
gender equality has been difficult and a barrier to those goals.

Gender equality greatly empowers women, and this equality affects varying aspects of life.
However, in India, like many other countries in the world, patriarchy is still practiced and gender
inequality is normalized. This report evaluates the status of women in India by examining four
factors: access to education, literacy rates, economic independence, and health and longevity
rates. Gender equality is not hugely practiced in India, but parts of the country are most
definitely on track to empower women.

Access to education
Education can be notably empowering when appreciated, as the lack of it greatly factors into the
causes of gender inequality and can bring about significant health risks, especially to womens
reproductive health. Access to education in India is unequal not only because of gender, but also
because of class and the preservation of the social and cultural beliefs of discriminating against
girls (UNICEF, 2012). The International Labor Organizations report has indicated that low
levels of education are withholding women from being involved in the workforce in India (Batra
and Reio, 2016). In addition, due to high poverty in India, parents hold back from sending their
children to school and have them participate in child labor instead, which then affects their
futures as independent women (Kumar, 2014).
 Chandoo 2

Literacy rates
A person of age 15 or above in a population is considered literate when (s)he can, with
understanding, read and write. The literacy rate for females between the ages of 15 and 24 was
~74% in 2006, but rose to about 82% in 2011; however, these values are definitely lower than
males, which are 88% and 90%, respectively (The World Bank, n. d.). Nonetheless, the rise in
literacy rates in females is obvious, and this is on track of bridging the gap in literacy rates
between the two genders. However, in the rural areas, where inequality is more obviously
observed and where poverty is high, the literacy rates are even lower because parents do not send
their children to school, as mentioned before (Kumar, 2014).

Economic independence
Gender inequality is mostly rooted in the homes as taking care of the family and household
chores are thought of as womens work. The countrys historical patriarchal values prevent
women from achieving any equality, and this culture simply views a woman as part of the group,
but not necessarily as an individual with an identity of her own (Batra and Reio, 2016), and this
is especially true in rural areas more than urban areas. In order to escape this culture, women
sometimes move to the city for work and wider range of other opportunities. Abandoning the
patriarchal cultures empowers women to take on other roles that they would not take up
otherwise, such as being involved in activities that generate income. Therefore, it is necessary for
women to be empowered in order to bring changes to their socio-economic conditions
(Lakshmibai and Bidyalakshmi, 2013).

Health and longevity rates

A new report released by the UN states that in India, the life expectancy at birth has increased by
over 10 years in the past couple decades, and it is now at 69.9 years for women as opposed to 58
years in 1990. A World Health Organization (WHO) official commented that India has made a
lot of progress by increasing the life expectancy and this is to be attributed to the great
advancement toward countering child mortality in the country. India has always been challenged
with maternal mortality and infectious diseases, but now the country is struggling as it is
 Chandoo 3

presented with newer challenges of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer (Mitra-Jha,
2016).

Furthermore, another WHO official said that the healthcare in India is very unequal and that
there is a long way to go before there is quality service for everyone (Mitra-Jha, 2016). Women
in the rural areas of India at an average age of 36 sometimes opt to undergo hysterectomies due
to the lack of maternal-centric health system, as well as the little to no control over their
reproduction (Desai, 2016). The inequality lies in accessing maternal, reproductive, newborn and
child health services. These statistics clearly show that more than men, women are being
affected.

Conclusion
Almost half of Indias population is women. In terms of access to education, more than gender,
poverty is a major factor affecting childrens access to education. However, even though women
and men have almost equal literacy rates, women do not seem to have the economic
independence as that of men. But as the literacy rates come to be equal between the two genders,
the economic independence will change as well. In addition, India does not have a good
healthcare system that supports women with maternal and child health. Nonetheless, the UN is
trying its best to eliminate issues such as access to education, economic independence, and
healthcare in developing countries like India.
 Chandoo 4

Works Cited
Batra, R., & Reio, T. G. (2016). Gender Inequality Issues in India. Advances in
Developing Human Resources, 18(1), 88-101. doi:10.1177/1523422316630651

Desai, S. (2016). Pragmatic prevention, permanent solution: Womens experiences

with hysterectomy in rural India. Social Science & Medicine, 151, 11-18
Doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.12.046

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. (2015,
September 25). Retrieved September 30, 2017, from United Nations website:
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

Indian girls demand equal access to education. (2012, May 25). Retrieved October
1, 2017, from UNICEF website: https://www.unicef.org/education/
index_25979.html

Kumar, A. (Ed.). (2014, April 19). Why does India have a lower literacy rate
compared to other countries, although the Indian government has implemented
so many education plans? Retrieved October 4, 2017, from Quora website:
https://www.quora.com/
Why-does-India-have-a-lower-literacy-rate-compared-to-other-countries-although-th
e-Indian-government-has-implemented-so-many-education-plans

Lakshmibai, T., & Bidyalakshmi, T. (2013, September). Empowering of Women

through Economic Independence Participation of Manipuri Women In Various
Income Generating Activities For The Upliftment of States Economy.
International Journal of Humanities and
Social Science Invention, 2(9), 68-71. website: http://www.ijhssi.org/papers/v2(9)/
Version-2/J0292068071.pdf
 Chandoo 5

Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). (n.d.). Retrieved
September 30, 2017, from The World Bank website: https://data.worldbank.org/
indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS?locations=IN&view=chart

Mitra-Jha, S. (Ed.). (2016, May 20). Life expectancy in India on the rise, but
quality health care services inadequate. Retrieved October 2, 2017, from
Firstpost website: http://www.firstpost.com/india/
life-expectancy-in-india-on-the-rise-but-quality-health-care-services-inadequate-
2790442.html
 Chandoo 6

Target Grammar Application Sheet

Examples Explanation/ details
Using Academic Language
they also dont have changed to: India does not have
avoid contractions

Gender equality is the one thing that greatly changed to: Gender equality greatly
avoid common words that carry little
meaning

Getting away from the changed to: Abandoning the

avoid common words that carry little
meaning

Old-new information flow

Gender equality the equal treatment of gender, equality, women/girls, world
individuals despite their gender is not just a
basic human right, but also a foundation for a
peaceful and prosperous world, as women and
girls represent half the population. The United
Nations (UN) is committed to terminating gender
inequality because providing women and young
girls with access to education and health care
among other things will be beneficial for
societies around the world and humanity at large.

Education can be notably empowering when education, gender,

appreciated, as the lack of it greatly factors into inequality/discrimination, women/girls
the causes of gender inequality and can bring
about significant health risks, especially
womens reproductive health. Access to
education in India is unequal not only because of
gender, but also because of class and the
preservation of the social and cultural beliefs of
discriminating against girls (UNICEF, 2012).

However, even though women and men have women, equal, literacy rates, economic
almost equal literacy rates, women do not seem independence
to have the economic independence as that of
men. But as the literacy rates come to be equal
between the two genders, the economic
independence will change as well.

Language to indicate change

rose verb indicating an increasing change
 Chandoo 7

terminating verb indicating change of getting rid of

something

eliminating verb indicating change of getting rid of

something
 Chandoo 8

Grammar Correction Log

Sentences with Errors Description of Error/ Explanation and Correction

Correction Symbol Remarks
example: after the thief transitive vs. intransitive 'to rob' takes an object After the thief robbed
robbed, he ran himself verbs the woman,
away quickly 'to run' in intransitive-
no object he ran away quickly.
half the populations noun ending/singular or population is not half the population
plural countable

However, sentence structure starting a sentence with The UN is trying its best
implementation of confusing grammar however and also to accomplish its goals,
gender equality by using but is awkward but the implementation
various factors has been of gender equality has
a barrier to achieving been difficult and a
their goals, but the UN barrier to those goals.
is trying its best to
accomplish their goals.

parts of the country subject-verb error singular/plural part of the country are
is

to their health, for sentence structure - comma splice to their health; for
instance, punctuation instance,

women to taken on word form typo women to take on

Getting away from the verb tense noun is abandoning, Abandoning the
patriarchal cultures which is singular patriarchal cultures
empower women empowers women

work performed by sentence structure syntax is tangled taking care of the

women is thought to be family and household
as taking care of the chores are thought of as
family and household womens work.
chores.