In India, there are far fewer educated women than men. At 65.6%, this is far lower than the world average of 79.7% (Khair, 2019). This is due to the patriarchal system in India. Gender discrimination, crimes against women and lack of security are all challenges women face on a daily basis (Khair, 2019). The problem is more severe in rural communities, where longer commutes and more conservative mindsets all amplify these issues. In these places women are considered not to be worth the investment of educating and are viewed as "a liability, which has to be ultimately transferred to other family after marriage" (Khair, 2019). Many women are harassed while trying to get to school and suffer from an environment in which their education is not taken seriously. This has led to women receiving a poor education and having a far higher dropout rate then men. As adults, women suffer from the ill effects of being illiterate, such as the woman pictured on the left. 

These women complete a self-fulfilling proffecy: they are not believed to be worth the investment, their education is not given its required resources, as adults women are iliterate and this renforces the incorrect belief that women are not worth the investment. These women are then married at a young age and with "the cumulative consequence of an early pregnancy, child bearing at an young age, the lack of decision-making capacity and unsafe abortions...leading to a vicious cycle associated with rapid population growth and increase in maternal mortality and morbidity" (Rao, 2001). This is one of the factors that contributes to India's massive population and its exponential growth. However, when a woman is given a quality education, it "will provide her with a decision-making capacity, which is the key to the rest of her development and future" (Rao, 2001). 

UN SDG #4, hopes to give everyone a quality education, regardless of race, sex, gender or any other characteristic. India, with its disparity between men and women's education, particularly in rural areas, is a prime candidate to be remideied by this goal. Therefore we ask the question: How can solving the lack of education and illiteracy in women throughout rural India alleviate the overpopulation problem India faces, due to high birth rates?

When looking at the gap in education provided for young girls and women in rural India, the political standpoint becomes an important factor in the problem. In India, there is a problem of child labor and low school enrollment rates in general, but specifically in the rural areas (Cook, 2020). There have been official attempts at fixing the problem, with the government trying to implement projects to raise the literacy rate (Cook, 2020). It is important to note that these implementations were widely successful, but more still must be done. The Right to Education Act, was put into action by the Indian Parliament and had a large success in raising the enrollment rates in school (Cook, 2020). Girls from ages 6-14 are now required to be enrolled in school, and to receive a primary education. The main issue faced by young girls attempting to get a higher education past the required primary education, is child marriage. The government attempted to pass the Child Marriage Restraint Act, but it was to no avail as there were no genuine punishments for those caught arranging these child marriages (Cook, 2020). This issue also contributes to the high birth rates found in India, as women are less likely to have the knowledge about or access to better healthcare and birth control (Cook, 2020). The Indian Parliament is not fully turning a blind eye to these issues faced in India, but there could be stricter laws and regulations enacted to contribute more to a solution. 

History of Education

  The history of education in India is quite intriguing; "in ancient times, India had the Gurukula system of education in which anyone who wished to study went to a teacher's (Guru) house and requested to be taught" (Kumar, 2019). If the Guru accepted the student, the student would then live with the Guru where they would be taught how to run a home by performing house activities to create a strong tie to each other. Furthermore, the Guru would teach the student anything they wanted. The student would stay for as long as they wished or until the Guru believed that they had taught the student everything. As time progressed, "the modern school system was brought to India, including the English language, originally by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay in the 1830s" (Kumar, 2019).

History of Overpopulation

Overpopulation in India is a major issue. Recently, India surpassed China as being the most populated country in the world with over 1.4 billion people residing within. One of the leading causes of the overpopulation issue within India is the high birth rates that exceed the death rates. This also ties in with the issue of education for young girls and women. If a woman has a child at a young age then she must take care of the child and not attend school. 

However, the government of Uttar Pradesh has unveiled a draft bill for the UP Population Policy (2021- 2030) to provide aid to the situation. This bill is to help "bring down the gross fertility rate and stabilization of the population" (Mishra, 2022). This bill discusses the two-child policy that has been established in multiple other countries. The article also discusses the pros and cons of this bill.

The main location that we will be discussing is India. More specifically, the rural parts of India. A rural location is identified as "an open swath of land that has few homes or other buildings, and not very many people. A rural area’s population density is very low" (Costa, 2019).

The image to the right is a map of rural India. We found it difficult to find maps since the last census for India was in 2011 (Tatem, n. d.). There was one planned to be conducted in 2020, but due to the Covid 19 pandemic, it was postponed indefinetly.

In India, girls and women are often seen as a liability in their family's eyes, rather than an asset (FFLV). The concern of marrying a girl to another family is typically the most important part of a young girl's life in rural India, instead of prioritizing her education. In these rural areas, it is uncommon for a girl to have reading and writing skills, and many are often found doing chores for the family or begging for money and food (FFLV). However, it is evident that when a woman does get an education in order to get a job, India has a U-shaped relationship when it comes to women who acquire a secondary and/or higher education and entering the workforce (Chatterjee, et al., 2018). Studies have shown that more educated women have a higher likelihood to marry an educated man with high income, meaning they will likely not have to work as much or at all (Chatterjee et al 2018). There is a lack of demand for educated women in the labor force, making the desire to get a quality higher education less important to most women in India. Keeping this in mind, it is important to note that the rural areas of India lack jobs that require any higher education (Chatterjee, et al., 2018). The combination of background, region differences, the role of the Caste system, and how gendered familial roles play into women and their education, creates a space in which it is difficult to obtain or see a reason to pursue education in general. In order to fix the issue pertaining to uneducated women in these rural areas, it is important to address what India can do better when it comes to providing jobs for and accepting women in the workplace.

To confirm current rates of education, as well as predicting how new practices will affect the future, advanced statistical methods will need to be used. One example is a study from 2021, which investigated the effectiveness of a program in rural India. Called "The Education for All Program" it intended to "achieve universal elementary education, which has been a goal of the government since India’s independence in 1947" (Jogani, 2021). The program also wanted to close the gap between the dropout rates of male and female students. Funding for the program was divided at several levels, eventually ending in the smallest units, known as blocks. These blocks could encompass part of or an entire community and were classified as an "educationally backward block (EBB) and not educationally backward block (NEBB)" (Jogani, 2021). EEBs received more funding and a greater focus on promoting female student involvement and creating new infrastructure. The study found that "at the aggregate level...districts with a higher percentage of EBBs experience an increase in the rural female literacy rate and a decrease in the gender gap in literacy rate" (Jogani, 2021). 

The study also looked at what effect being next to an EEB would have on surrounding communities. It discovered that "the intensity of the program received or the literacy rate of neighboring districts did not significantly influence the outcomes of a district" (Jogani, 2021). These findings indicate that focusing on the most needy communities and anticipating postive outcomes to flow into neighboring communities is not a viable solution. While it will increase the literacy of the entire district, it is not a subsitiute for direct funding. Investing in a program that does not make a dent in the problem is a waste of time and money. Data from studies like this one is vital to determine what works and what does not. Unfortunately, studies that investigate these issues are limited at this time.