Gender Bias Issues in Higher Education in India

Exploring gender bias and educational disparities in higher education in India

Abstract

This paper explores a broad variety of literature on gender bias in higher education. In certain facets of the educational system, gender disparity is more pronounced than in others. The study divides access to higher education into three categories 1) undergraduate experiences, 2) college experiences, and 3) post-college outcomes. Women do reasonably well in accessibility, but less well in terms of college experience, and are disproportionately disadvantaged in terms of educational outcomes. Gender disparity in higher education can be explained in terms of these various facets of education, as well as the ways in which women have achieved equity and those in which they continue to lag behind men. Here we review the gender bias in education and the importance of educating girls through the functionalist theory of education.