Kanishka Agarwal, Senior Measurement, Monitoring and Evaluation Associate, Pratham Education Foundation and Muskan, Research Assoicate at ASER Centre, currently pursuing an MBA at MDI.

Almost 25 years ago, the “National Policy for the Empowerment of Women” was launched by the Government of India. The policy aimed “to catalyze the advancement, development, and empowerment of women”. Among its multifaceted objectives, education and employment emerged as the central pillars. These two aspects are inherently interconnected. While education lays the groundwork for empowerment, financial independence derived from employment solidifies it. Over the years, substantial progress has been made in this regard, creating new opportunities for women.

In the education sector, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 highlights the attainment of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) skills for every child, and calls it an “indispensable prerequisite for future schooling and lifelong learning”. In 2021, the Ministry of Education launched NIPUN Bharat Mission, with the aim of achieving FLN goals by 2026-27. Data from the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), a nationwide citizen-led household survey, shows that in 2018, 27.2% of children in Std VIII (typically aged 14-16, who will soon join the workforce) were not able to read a Std II level text. This figure then increased to 30.5% in 2022, reflecting the impact of the pandemic. However, the latest ASER 2024 report indicates a recovery, with this proportion reducing to 28.9%. When disaggregated by gender, the percentage of females (73.2%) who were able to read Std II level text was higher than males (71.3%). Regardless of this, the proportion of 15-16-year-old girls who are not enrolled in any education institution has increased slightly from 7.9% in 2022 to 8.1% in 2024.

Last year’s ASER report focused on the awareness, abilities and aspirations of youth aged 14 to 18 – a prime age group in which girls drop out of the education system. This ASER 2023 report highlighted that a quarter of the youth (25%) couldn’t read Std II level text, while more than half struggled with basic Std III/IV level division problems. Additionally, the youth were surveyed on 17 assessment tasks spanning applied reading, financial calculations, and digital tasks. Females not only performed worse but also had a much higher refusal rate to attempt the questions than males. The statistics mentioned are concerning, as these skills are imperative in enabling women to acquire essential skills for employment, and engage in the increasingly digital global landscape.

The 2024 report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) projects that India will surpass 900 million internet users by 2025, with a significant increase in users from rural areas. Furthermore, internet users predominantly spend their online time accessing OTT video and music content, with the least amount of time dedicated to online learning. Thus, cinema can serve as a powerful tool to raise awareness and sensitize people to ongoing societal issues.

Kiran Rao’s movie, Laapataa Ladies, unearths how women struggle to navigate their desires in a patriarchal society. In one of the pivotal scenes, Chhotu, a character portrayed by Satendra Soni, engages in a conversation with Phool (Nitanshi Goel) and casually remarks, “We managed to sell 112 teas. There’s a notebook nearby; jot down this number. Do you even know how to write numbers?” This dialogue reflects the prevailing perception in rural India regarding women’s literacy, particularly evident as Phool struggles to even recall her husband’s village name, let alone write numbers. This underscores how FLN skills are not just essential building blocks for education but also critical in enabling women to navigate daily life, assert independence, and participate in the workforce with confidence.

Female labor force participation in India continues to be lower than the world average despite having the largest youth population. Demand-side factors, like job availability and pay parity, combined with supply-side factors shaped by gender roles and patriarchal resource allocation, limit women to unpaid domestic roles. Investing in quality interventions to equip women with job-ready skills is essential; however the current status of vocational training in India is far from satisfactory. The 2023 ASER report shows that only 5.6% of rural youth received vocational training, with a lower percentage for females. This has remained nearly unchanged since the 2017 ASER survey.

Research often highlights the difficulty that women face to break through societal or familial expectations. Be it attending upper-primary school, enrolling in a non-traditional field, or aspiring to work—the list is endless. When gender-stereotypes are communicated through immediate learning environments, it negatively impacts the dreams and aspirations of young minds. In the recently released movie ‘Mrs.’, Richa (Sanya Malhotra) struggles to reclaim her individuality within the confines of a patriarchal household. The film powerfully portrays how a woman’s worth is often measured by her service to others, and how the weight of unspoken expectations can gradually erase her sense of self.

Notwithstanding the fact that there are issues pertaining to women empowerment, the qualitative strand in the ASER 2023 report emphasises that women have “aspirations” to pursue further education, and learn from the world where their lives are not tightly bound by house work. Young girls may be missing (“Laapataa”) from classrooms and the workforce, but they are not lost. They yearn to experience true freedom, and as poignantly highlighted in Mrs., they must see beyond the illusion of being a “bhale ghar ki bahu beti” to unlock their capabilities

India is on the verge of a “youth bulge” and has potential to harness the aspirations of young women, unlocking the demographic dividend, which is expected to peak by 2041. In line with this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “For All Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” our nation must embody the promise of transformation which gives women the freedom to chart their own course and contribute to the nation’s growth.

Also read: Women empowerment: 8 key issues that need urgent attention