- "What is the point of studying more, if girls are destined to get married and do kitchen work only?"
90% of the girls actually believed that a woman's primary role is that of a caregiver. Their domestic roles in the household start to set in at a very early age and become increasingly significant by the time they are 15. This is another reason for them to start missing school and eventually dropout.
Far off location of schools, especially those catering to grades 9 to 12, is another contributing factor. Parents not only fear that their daughter might experience harassment or violence on the way to school but are also worried that she might meet a boy on the way to school and develop a relationship with him, she said to CNS (Citizen News Service). This whole idea of protecting girls from such so-called transgressions of social norms is one of the push factors for older girls to drop-out from school.
Mobility: As girls grow older, their movements outside the home are restricted. They need permission to go to most places and must usually be accompanied. While it is acceptable for older girls to go out for certain household work or visit certain places (like an 'Aanganwadi' centre - to meet a frontline health worker for accessing some resource related to their health or nutrition), but they need permission to go to a park or to a playground or to even a friend's house. 74% of the girls felt that a family's honour lies in the girl's hand, and 33% felt that 'good girls' do not roam in public spaces. No wonder that the older girls were more likely to have poorer mental wellbeing, with 31% of them feeling depressed and 26% having feelings of dread.
Marriage: In India, 32% of the rural women aged 20-24 years were married before the age of 18. But for Jharkhand this figure is still higher at 44%. Study results show that the average age of marriage is 16 years. They also point out that there is a clear link between education and marriage as school dropout significantly increases the likelihood of marriage. Girls who dropped out from school were 3.4 times more likely to be married early on. As soon as a girl drops out from school, marriage is usually right around the corner. Girls have very little voice and choice in decisions related to their marriage - when to get married and to whom (and if to get married or not). Less than 15% of them had a say in deciding about the timing and the groom. Fathers are the key decision makers and daughters cannot oppose parents' decision.
Sexual and other forms of gender-based violence: It occurs in various forms and girls are often blamed for it. 50%-70% of the girls indicated a high likelihood of sexual harassment, as well as physical and emotional violence in different spaces which they usually frequent. Violence was seen as a gendered form of control, within the household, in schools and in public spaces. Victim blaming and violence justification is common.
Sexual and reproductive health: With 54% of its 15-49 years rural womenfolk suffering from anaemia, the physical well being of India's women leaves much to be desired. For Jharkhand this figure is even higher at 67%. Coupled with this is a very low level of knowledge and very high stigma around sexual and reproductive health issues.
Younger girls lack information related to menstruation. And even the older girls believe in different kinds of misinformation, myths and stereotypes. Most girls learn about menstruation only after attaining menarche. Nearly 40% of them miss school during menstruation, particularly due to pain and/or fear of staining. Only 39% of the rural girls aged 15-24 years in Jharkhand use hygienic products (like sanitary pads) during menstruation. 82% of the female respondents believed that menstruation cleans the body of dirty blood, and 66% said that menstruating girls should not attend religious functions. Such misconceptions are not uncommon even in cities.
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