Women first and last in Kerala
Regarded as a progressive state with total literacy and social sector indices matching even advanced countries and a high gender equality index, Kerala still lags behind most other Indian states in work participation of women.
The state's female employment rate of 22.9 per cent sharply contradicts its hyped records in gender empowerment, according to the "Economic Review 2009," released by the state Planning Board recently.
In contrast to 55.9 per cent of rural males and 54.7 per cent urban males employed in Kerala in 2004-05, work participation rate of rural and urban female counterparts were only 25.6 per cent and 20.0 per cent in the same period, it said.
Leaders of women rights movements cite many reasons for the situation like failure of girls to receive professional and skill based education and the approach of society, which tend to see women as just housewives.
CPI-M leader T N Seema, the first woman to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from Kerala, feels the conventional education system contributes a lot to low working participation of women.
She said the education system in Kerala is still degree oriented. After 10th standard, around 90 per cent of girls and boys pursue plus two and then courses like BA or BSc. They opt for service sector jobs in government or private firms, which together offer only limited job opportunities, leaving a large number of educated outside the scope of secured jobs.
"Unfortunately, victims of this trend are mostly women. Parents send girls to schools and colleges, prompt them to write government job tests and if they fail to gain employment, get them married off. A large section of educated women are thus destined to remain unemployed throughout their lives," Seema said.
The Review blames the type of education women receive as the main reason for unemployment. Women are found to be over represented in general education, which would not impart specialized job skills or make them professionally qualified.
While 16 per cent men opt for non-technical education, only 7 per cent women prefer technical education.
Seema, also a member of the state Gender Board, says Kerala girls are not properly guided by parents or teachers, as a result of which the state¿s educational achievements fail to get translated into employment for women.
Though Kerala women do not lag in receiving higher education, rapid growth in professional institutions in private sector has contributed to rise in 'educated unemployment' over the years.
