Female teachers now lead India’s school education workforce: Education report

India’s school education sector is witnessing a historic shift as female teachers now make up 53.3% of the workforce, their highest recorded proportion. However, this progress stands in stark contrast to higher education, where men continue to dominate the teaching profession.

For the first time, female teachers now make up 53.3 percent of all school teachers in India, according to 2023-24 UDISE+ data. This is the highest proportion recorded, showing steady growth in female representation in the teaching workforce over the years.

In 2018-19, men made up just over half of the school teaching workforce. Out of 94.3 lakh teachers, 47.16 lakh (50.01%) were men and 47.14 lakh (49.98%) were women. By 2023-24, female teacher numbers rose to 52 lakh, while male teachers dropped to about 45 lakh.

The data shows a clear shift. Women surpassed 50% representation in 2019-20 and have steadily increased each year. The most significant jumps were recorded in 2022-23 and 2023-24, when their share rose from 51.3% to 53.3%.

However, this progress is limited to school education. In higher education, men continue to dominate. The 2021-22 All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) reported women made up only 43% of teachers, compared to 57% of men.

Private schools have driven much of the increase in female school teachers. From 2018-19 to 2023-24, the number of female teachers in private schools rose by 20%. By contrast, government schools saw only a 6% increase in female teachers during the same period.

Some states have more women than men teaching in government schools. In Kerala, 78% of government school teachers are women, while Tamil Nadu (67%), Punjab (64%), and Delhi (61%) also report higher female representation in teaching roles.

This shift marks a milestone for gender diversity in school education. However, the gap remains in government schools and higher education.

This has remained the case each year from 2018-19 to 2023-24. Of the 49.47 lakh government school teachers in 2018-19, 28.18 lakh (57%) were men and 21.29 lakh (43%) were women. In 2023-24, the number of women saw a rise of around 6% — 22.65 lakh women were teaching in government schools, alongside 27.72 lakh men.

In contrast, private schools saw a much higher rise of around 20% in the number of women teaching. Private schools had a higher number of women teachers, all through the years from 2018-19 to 2023-24. Of the 37.30 lakh private school teachers in 2023-24, 24.76 (66%) were women, compared to 20.63 lakh women teachers out of a total of 33.04 lakh teachers in 2018-19.

Some states have bucked the national trend of more men than women teaching in government schools. In Kerala, for instance, 78% of government school teachers are women, while this figure is 67% in Tamil Nadu, and 64% in Punjab. Delhi also has a higher number of women than men teaching in government schools — around 61% of the total number of teachers.

With Thanks Reference to: Female teachers now lead India’s school education workforce: Education report – India Today and Women teachers dominate India’s school teaching workforce in sharp contrast to higher education: Report | Education News – The Indian Express