Women Lead in Higher Education, Rural-Urban Gap Affects Schoolgirls

India has made significant strides in closing the gender gap in education, with women now surpassing men in higher education. However, a rural-urban divide remains, impacting school completion rates for girls. According to a Unesco report, only 59 girls complete upper secondary education for every 100 boys in rural areas, while urban areas show gender parity. The report highlights that India has closed at least 65% of its initial disparity in upper secondary completion since 2000. The overall gender parity index for upper secondary completion stands at 0.89, but drops to 0.59 in rural regions. Recent government data indicates improvements in girls' school enrolment and retention rates. At the college level, women's enrolment has increased significantly, with a gross enrolment ratio of 31.2% compared to 28.9% for men.