India's Untapped Talent
Did you know that Indian higher education has now achieved gender parity?
Below, I visualise data from the annual web-based All India Survey on Higher Education (2021-22). This shows the gender ratio enrolled in colleges within that state. Students may have migrated from other states.
Himachal Pradesh’s gender ratio now exceeds the USA, with women in the lead.
Female tertiary enrolment has surged!
Look back at the female-to-male ratio in higher education in 2012. There has been major progress towards gender parity. In Medicine, women have actually taken the lead.
Below, I plot the change in female-to-male ratios in tertiary education, between 2012 and 2021, by state.
This achievement holds across social groups - including Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
See Figure 11.
Understanding the Transformation: The Gender Educational Kuznets Curve
This dramatic shift in India follows a pattern that economists have observed globally. Drawing from Simon Kuznets’s famous theory about income inequality, Baten and colleagues have identified a similar trajectory in educational gender gaps, known as the “Gender Educational Kuznets Curve”.
Basically, as countries grow wealthier and male education increases, the gender gap initially widens and then closes. Educated men ultimately want educated wives
The Three Stages of Educational Gender Parity
Initial Low Gap Stage (Pre-1900s)
Both genders had limited educational access
Gender gaps were minimal because education itself was scarce
Widening Gap Stage (Early-Mid 20th Century)
As education expanded, families prioritised sons’ education
Limited resources meant tough choices, often at girls’ expense
Gender gaps increased significantly
Closing Gaps (Late 20th Century - Present)
Educated men began valuing educated wives, to educate their children
Rising household incomes enabled investment in girls’ education
Women themselves began seeking education to gain autonomy.
This Gender Educational Kuznets Curve is universal, but it is mediated by culture. Where male honour depends on female seclusion, girls lag behind.
Untapped Talent
India’s achievement of gender parity in higher education is not unusual. It is part of a remarkable global transformation, with a growing pipeline of talent. But let me add 3 key points, relevant for both structural transformation and gender equality:
Choice of college major. 40% of Indians are studying Arts, whereas in China there is more onus on Science and Engineering.
Quality of education and state capacity are equally critical. A study in Madhya Pradesh found substantial over-reporting of student achievement in official tests.
Globally, there is divergence in the utilisation of female brain power. Across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, most women tend to stay at home.
Further Readings
Government of India (2023) All India Survey on Higher Education (2021-22).
Abi Adams and Alison Andrew, 2019 “Preferences and beliefs in the marriage market for young brides”
How to Harness Talent?
I was recently interviewed on what drives cultural change 👇
> Choice of college major. 40% of Indians are studying Arts, whereas in China there is more onus on Science and Engineering.
This is not because Indians value arts BTW. Indians take an easy, often useless, college degree so that they can use that to apply for a government job. This is especially the case in North Indians. Basically the Indians government, the most lucrative employer in the country (you basically get paid to do nothing and never get fired), prioritises test taking and credentialism over skills. Hence Indian youth prioritie nonsense degrees over skill acquisition.
India will not make progress until Indians start seeing public employment as a cost and not as a reward.