4th February 2025 (12 Topics)
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Gender Budget and Women’s Education in Delhi
The gender budget of Delhi has grown significantly over the last decade, reflecting a stronger focus on women’s welfare in the region. However, while the overall budget for Delhi has increased substantially, questions remain about the allocation towards women’s education, a key factor in their economic and social empowerment.
What is the Importance of Women’s Education?
- Investing in women’s education has long-term benefits for both individuals and the economy.
- Educating women can help reduce the gender gap in employment and lead to wage parity.
- However, despite the growing gender budget, investment in women’s education has not kept pace with other expenditures, raising concerns about its prioritization.
- 2017-18 Peak: Women’s education accounted for 54% of the gender budget but has since fallen to just 27% in 2024-25.
- Recent Decline: In the last year, the education budget has decreased by 9%, marking a shift towards cash transfers and other welfare schemes, instead of structural investments like education.
Key Figures:
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Women’s Education Budget: Initially Rs 2 billion in 2011-12, rising to ?18 billion in 2024-25, but it peaked at Rs 24 billion in 2017-18 before declining.
Impact on Women’s Employment and Skills:
- Low Female Labour Force Participation: Delhi’s female labour force participation stands at 21%, far below the national average of 45.2%. This is the lowest in India, highlighting limited job opportunities for women.
- Low-Paid, Low-Skill Jobs: Women are mainly employed in low-paying, low-skill jobs like house cleaning and domestic work. This indicates a direct link between inadequate education and limited career opportunities.
- Gender Gap in Top Roles: Women hold just 6% of top managerial roles (like legislators, senior managers, and CEOs), with 94% of such positions held by men. This reflects the underrepresentation of women in higher-skilled and leadership positions.
- Underrepresentation in High-Skill Jobs: Only 3.8% of women in Delhi work in technical or professional jobs, compared to 10.34% of men. This suggests that women are not benefiting equally from the skilled job market.
- Concentration in specific sector: The lack of investment in technical and professional education for women has led to their concentration in specific sectors such as teaching and healthcare. To reduce gender gaps, it is essential to focus on increasing opportunities in technical education, professional courses, and skill development programs.
Government’s intervention for Education
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