Women and Higher Education: Issues and the Road Ahead

The Constitution has laid down the objective of equality of opportunity for all Indian citizens. And yet while the discourse around the notions of equality and development continues, social and economic disparities persist, further curtailing our freedoms and choices. Such disparities, in particular those related to gender, are also to be seen in the domain of education. This paper attempts to look at gender divides in higher education which when seen in conjunction with other social disparities, hold back many women from realizing their fullest potential. As Chandra Mohanty suggests, the poor “third world” women have been largely depicted within development literature as victims who have “needs” and “problems”, but few if any have “choices” or the freedom to act (2002).