Education and women: about castes, marriage markets and the illusion of destructuralism

Abstract

Whenever it comes to education in general and of women in India and everywhere else in the world in specific, this topic is coupled with very high expectations and enthusiastic statements. Education seems to provide the solution for all problems that arise on the social and individual level of a society. Such expectations on education of women, especially in India, are related to the so called development of the nation, to the political and economic empowerment of women, to the improvement of public health and wealth etc. But education, whether for men or women, seen from a social point of view, is not as innocuous as the songs of praise suggest. In the contrary: It can have and has far-reaching consequences in many respects and these consequences are neither assessable in advance nor easy controllable. ... [In her article which is based on a lecture held at the 'Conference on International Women's Day - Contemporary Indian Women: Celebrating their Spirit and Success' March 2003 in Hyderabad, India, March 2003, the author points out] some social and structural constellations which form the context for any engagement for education and which also may contribute to unintended problems. (DIPF/Orig.)