The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2023) findings reflect that while there is a wider access as 95% males and 90% females reported knowing how to use a smartphone, however, the technical nuance of “know-how to use a smartphone” looks different for men and women.

For instance, males between the 14- and 18-year age group were more than twice as likely to own their own smartphone than females, and therefore were likely spending far more time using the device for a wider variety of tasks.

This theory is supported by the ASER data, which shows that although both sexes use smartphones, men were twice as likely as women to have done so in order to utilise it for practical tasks like making a reservation or paying a bill. The report showed that 38% males used smartphones for online services while only 19% females did so. Even for entertainment, the percentage of males was higher at 69% compared to just 46% female, indicating girls and young women have far less access to it than their male counterparts.

“Owning one’s own smartphone also enables the possibility of its unsupervised use for tasks unrelated to work or education,” the report said.

ASER 2017 found 16% of 14-18- year-old females out of school as compared to 11.9% males – a gap of 4.1 percentage points. This year, that gap has narrowed to just 0.2 percentage points. The data showed that more females in this age group expressed desire to continue to higher levels of education than their male counterparts. In other words, girls are staying in school longer and wanting to continue studying even longer. Around 7.4% females were enrolled in undergraduate and other courses while 6.8 % males continued higher education. 44.3 % aspired to study in undergraduate programmes as opposed to 41.2% males.

When reading a Class II level text in their native tongue, girls (76%) outperform males (70.9%) across all enrolment groups. On the other hand, males outperform women in maths and reading comprehension in English. Men fared better than females across all functional tasks like calculating time, adding weights, measuring length and applying unitary method. For instance, only 41.1% females were able to tell the time compared to 51% males. Similarly, 88% males were able to measure length compared to 82% women.

Half of the surveyed males reported to have an email as compared to 30% females. The gender gap is further prominent in activities like online shopping and even more so in using location or maps. Almost half of the males — 49% — were able to use maps to figure out how long it would take to get from their current location to the district bus stand on a two- or four-wheeler and only 25% of girls and young women – could do so.

“With most girls entirely dependent on family members (or, occasionally, on school trips) for expeditions outside their home villages, planning of travel logistics – what mode of transport to use, how long the trip will take, where to book tickets, and so on – involves a set of tasks that are usually done by the men in the family, and may therefore be hard for girls to even conceptualise, let alone implement. In this sense, the idea that such planning can be aided by the use of apps on a smartphone is even more remote,” said Director of research, Suman Bhattacharjea, in the report.

The gender gap further reiterates in career choices, especially higher education. Changes in societal norms surrounding the ideal age for marriage emerged among females as a major factor influencing their capacity to pursue higher education. Higher education was rarely linked to improved job market readiness, despite the fact that this perceived rise in the ideal age of marriage made higher secondary and college education a socially acceptable path for these girls.

In situations of financial hardship, while their sisters were pulled out of school due to financial constraints, boys often had the option of finding their own sources of income if they wanted to pay their school fees, joining the workforce while still in school.

Among girls, these decisions were often not in their hands. For instance, the report highlighted a Class12 girl’s situation in Sitapur: “My father says he will let me complete my BA before he gets me married, although my brother says they can get me married once I get admission in BA. I mean, I can’t say anything in such matters, it is up to them.”

Nevertheless, most girls showed interest in working after completing education. Only in situations where youth, particularly women, could envision themselves working alongside others who looked like them did the concept of having career goals begin to take shape. For instance, girls and their families in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, were far more likely to accept the idea of work where the female labour force participation for 15-29-year-olds is 50.8% compared to Dhamatri (Chhattisgarh) where only 18.7% women are part of the workforce.

The ASER 2023 ‘Beyond Basics’ survey was conducted in 28 districts across 26 states, reaching a total of 34,745 youth in the age group 14-18 years. One rural district was surveyed in each major state.