NFHS-6, UDISE+: Girls overtake boys in higher secondary attainment for the first time
Data from the NFHS-6 survey indicates that women in India have surpassed men in higher secondary educational attainment for the first time. While enrollment rates are rising, policymakers are now shifting focus toward ensuring students complete their education.
Why it matters
This represents a significant demographic and social shift in India's educational landscape, signaling progress in gender parity.
The latest round of the National Family Health Survey, NFHS-6 (2023-24), reports that for the first time, women are more likely than men to have completed ten or more years of schooling. The national gender gap in higher secondary attainment, measured as the difference between men’s and women’s shares, has shifted from a male advantage in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to a one-percentage-point advantage for women. This marks an important change in the historical pattern of educational attainment in India.
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