The country and society focus more on educating girls.
Little has been done on helping them become financially independent and productive members of the country’s workforce.
What are the recent findings?
The National Sample Survey 2014-15 found that for every 100 men enrolled in higher education (college and above) there were only 85 women.
National Family Health Survey 2015-16 shows that the proportion of working women, who were paid for their work, has fallen four percentage points over the past decade.
Another research reported that over 60 per cent of households in India had only one wage earner each.
The numbers have highlighted the idea of "overqualified Indian housewives"
What are the prevailing attitudes in Indian society?
Fatherly duties to a daughter don’t go beyond educating her.
Women's careers depend on the requirements of the families they marry into.
Once she becomes a mother, she will have to give up working.
The onus of taking care of a child entirely lies on the mother.
What is the way forward?
Government’s schemes like the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save girl child, educate girl child) should be implemented taking into consideration the societal attitudes.
Paternity leaves should be provided on par with maternity leaves to enable and ensure that both the sexes participate in child care.
The society has come a long way from confining women at homes to educating them.
However, there's still a long way to go beyond education and embrace women's choices, goals, careers, aspirations, independence, etc.
Limiting them with familial and child birth responsibilities should be changed with growth of the society.
