Child Poverty, Demographic Transition and Gender Bias in Education in India: Household Data Analysis (1993–94 and 2004–05)

This paper begins by highlighting some key characteristics of the demographic transition and child
education and their relation to household poverty status in India as evidenced by our analysis of Census
data (1951–2001) and those from NSS surveys in 1993–94 and 2004–05. Although total fertility rates have
declined for the country as a whole and for all states over the last three censuses of India there is
considerable variation by space, by poverty status and by education of women in the household in the two
cross sections. Child poverty rates exceed those for the whole population. The number of children in the
household depends on the number of women in child-bearing age and their distribution across this age
group, female education and per capita monthly expenditure of households as well as by social groups. We
find evidence of gender bias in education and argue that for approximately half of India’s children the
Right to Education Act must involve substantial improvements in the quality of education to be meaningful
and reflect the spirit of the RTE law.