Question

TABLE 4: LITERACY RATE IN INDIA
(Percentage of population 7 years of age and above)
Year	Person	Males	Females	Male-Female gap in literacy rate
1951	18.3	27.2	8.9	18.3
1961	28.3	40.0	15.4	25.1
1971	34.5	46.0	22.0	24.0
1981	43.6	56.4	29.8	26.6
1991	52.2	64.1	39.3	24.8
2001	65.4	75.9	54.2	21.7
2011	73.0	80.9	64.6	16.3
Source: Bose (2001:22); Census of India 2011.

Based on the reading of the above data, please answer the following questions.

1. What are the different factors which determine in literacy rates in our country?     [2]
2. How do inequalities in literacy rate lead to inequality across generation?     [4]

Answer 1

1. • Gender
   • Region
   • Social groups
2. • Literacy rates also vary by social group - historically disadvantaged communities like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have lower rates of literacy, and rates of female literacy within these groups are even lower.
   • Regional variations are still very wide, with states like Kerala approaching universal literacy while states like Bihar are lagging far behind.
   • The inequalities in the literacy rate are specially important because they tend to reproduce inequality across generations.
   • Illiterate parents are at a severe disadvantage in ensuring that their children are well educated, thus perpetuating existing inequalities.