Gender Inequality in Educational Expenditure in India

Anindita Dey

Abstract: Gender inequality in educational expenditure by the household is a major problem in India as the perceived economic return from women's education is low. The present study tries to explore the nature of gender bias in terms of educational expenditure using 75th round National Sample Survey data. Coefficient of inequality values have been calculated to show inequality between the sexes. The study reveals that gender inequality is more in rural areas than urban areas and it is more prominent in terms of spending on private coaching. The spatial pattern shows that except Kerala in all other states households spend more on men's education than on women and the gender inequality is much higher in the north Indian states than the southern states.

Keywords: Gender, inequality, coefficient of inequality, educational expenditure