NEW DELHI: More boys than girls in villages own smartphones, enjoy freedom to travel and have a choice to continue their studies, according to the findings of the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), which pointed to a vast gender divide in rural India.
However, the one promising trend that emerged from the survey of 34,745 youths in the age group of 14-18 years in 28 districts across 26 states was that most girls don’t drop out.
But there is a clear reason for this: One, to become better homemakers, and two, it provided them respite from their everyday household chores.
The survey pointed out that many girls talked about how they like to go to school because it is their only escape from their household duties. However, it also said that girls staying in schools also do not reflect that they are gaining enough knowledge or skills.
Noting that it is “remarkable” that the gender gap in enrollment “is continuing to narrow,” it said that the basic proficiency in reading among girls is better than males.
The reason for discontinuing schools also varied for boys and girls. The reasons cited by boys were lack of interest (24.2%) and financial constraints (16.9%), for females, it was family constraints (20.3%) and financial constraints (18.2%).
The survey found that boys could make their own decisions compared to girls regarding continuing their studies or travel. It also found that girls tend to travel much less. Also, only 19.8% of girls who knew how to use a smartphone owned one, against 43.7% of males who owned a smartphone.
The survey, which provides a snapshot of the status of children’s schooling and learning in rural India, also found that girls tend to travel much less. When they did, it was usually to accompany family members, typically to visit relatives, go shopping, or visit a religious site.
Noting that boys had travelled further afield than girls, it said that, “the difference was not only in terms of how far they had travelled, but also about decision-making about the trip.”
“The expectation that girls should conform to social and family expectations and refrain from independent action, structures the lives and thoughts of many of them. How then can young women develop curiosity, critical thinking, and the courage to take risks?” it added.
Noting that there is widening access to smartphones among school children in rural India, it, however, found that only 19.8% of girls who knew how to use a smartphone owned one as compared to 43.7% of males who knew how to use it owned a smartphone.
No wonder boys outperformed girls in performing simple tasks like finding a YouTube video, forwarding it, browsing the internet to find an answer, setting an alarm, online shopping, safety measures, and using Google Maps.
Highlighting that there was “obvious discrimination in ownership of smartphones right from age 14,” it said that boys having greater access to, control over, and independent use of smartphones reflects “the pattern of overall social and family control over the youth of each sex, particularly once they reach puberty.”
“There is ample evidence that families “protect” older girls and young women, keeping them “safe” until they get married,” it said.