Ahmedabad Cover Story
The Gender Class Ceiling in Teaching
Primary classes have more women teachers than men; opposite is true for secondary & higher secondary classes. Govt data shows that while nearly 60% teachers in primary sections in state and 81% in city were women, 63% in secondary schools in state and 56% in city were males
Entrenched as it may seem in patriarchal ideologies, teaching has for long been considered an ideal profession for women. However, even within that, women seem to have a glass ceiling with regard to the classes they teach.
Data from the central government’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) reveals men dominate secondary and higher secondary education, constituting over 60 per cent of the teachers, while the opposite holds true in primary classes—there are nearly 60 per cent women teachers in this section.
In the academic year 2021–22, the latest year for which data is available on the website—women made up 59.98 per cent of primary teachers in the state, outnumbering their male counterparts who stood at 40.01 per cent. However, the scenario changed in secondary and higher secondary education. There were 62.77 per cent male teachers in secondary and 61.16% in higher secondary classes, leaving women behind at 37.22 per cent and 38.83 per cent respectively.
Ahmedabad district mirrors this trend. In 2021–22, women accounted for 81.07% of primary teachers, while there were only 18.92 per cent men. The balance shifts in secondary education, with men at 55.50 per cent and women at 44.49 per cent. In the higher secondary classes, the trend persists, with 56.27 per cent male teachers compared to 43.72 per cent female teachers.
Social norms
Sociologist Gaurang Jani explains the societal expectations underpinning this divide. “A major factor in why girls continue with primary education is the societal norm of giving higher education, preferably to boys,” he says.
Joshi continues, “A woman’s early marriage affects her ability to pursue higher education too. Even with doctorates, some families still restrict females from working after marriage due to gender bias.”
Education expert Kirit Joshi says, “Until now, the perception of society was to give basic education to females, which can also provide employment. I believe that new initiatives and schemes of the government to educate girls will show a balance in the ratio for both genders in the next decade.”
Teacher numbers drop The overall number of teachers in school education in the state has gradually decreased.
In 2018–19, there were over 1.82 lakh primary teachers, dropping to over 1.59 lakh by 2021–22. Secondary school teachers numbered over 51,000 and higher secondary teachers over 34,000 in 2018–19. By 2021–22, these numbers fell to over 46,000 and over 32,000 respectively. In Ahmedabad district, in 2018-19, there were over 16,000 primary teachers, down to over 14,000 by 2021–22. Secondary school teachers numbered over 5,700 and higher secondary teachers over 4,300 in 2018-19. By 2021-22, these figures dropped to 5,300 and 4,000 respectively.
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