By Victoria A. Velkoff
International Programs Center
WID/98-1
Women of the World
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Illiterate
Literate
Completed
middle school
High school
and above
Figure 1.
Infant Mortality Rates, by Mother’s Educational
Level: 1992–93
Deaths per 1,000 births
Source: International Institute for Population Sciences, 1995
Issued October 1998
The Indian government has ex-
pressed a strong commitment to-
wards education for all, however,
India still has one of the lowest fe-
male literacy rates in Asia. In
1991, less than 40 percent of the
330 million women aged 7 and
over were literate, which means
today there are over 200 million
illiterate women in India. This low
level of literacy not only has a neg-
ative impact on women’s lives but
also on their families’ lives and on
their country’s economic develop-
ment. Numerous studies show
that illiterate women have high lev-
els of fertility and mortality, poor
nutritional status, low earning po-
tential, and little autonomy within
the household. A woman’s lack of
education also has a negative im-
pact on the health and well being
of her children. For instance, a re-
cent survey in India found that in-
fant mortality was inversely related
to mother’s educational level (Fig-
ure 1). Additionally, the lack of an
educated population can be an im-
pediment to the country’s econom-
ic development.
The Indian government’s commit-
ment to education is stated in its
U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
constitution with an article promis-
ing “free and compulsory educa-
tion for all children until they com-
plete the age of 14” (The World
Bank, 1997b). The National Policy
on Education, which was updated
in 1992, and the 1992 Program of
Action both reaffirmed the govern-
ment’s commitment to improving
literacy levels, by providing special
attention to girls and children from
scheduled castes and scheduled
tribes.
Literacy Levels
Improving Over Time
Although literacy levels are low,
there has been progress in i