High Female Literacy Research Articles

A Study on PayRoll- Management System

This study has a fresh look on the social development disparity in Uttarakhand during post reform period (1991-2011). Uttarakhand recorded always higher female literacy than India during 1991-2011. It was found that Uttarakhand recorded always higher social development than India during corresponding period of time. India, Uttarakhand, and all districts of Uttarakhand recorded increase in relative social development index. Across the districts of the state, Dehradun recorded highest social development and the lowest in Uttarkashi. It was found that districts with higher social development in 1991 recorded lower change and vice-versa during 1991-2011. The convergence of social development had been recorded. Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar, and Hardwar were lagging behind in social development. It was recommended that the policy makers and planners to give special attention for these districts to bridge the gap.

Social Development Disparity in Uttarakhand: A Geographical Perspective

This study has a fresh look on the social development disparity in Uttarakhand during post reform period (1991-2011). Uttarakhand recorded always higher female literacy than India during 1991-2011. It was found that Uttarakhand recorded always higher social development than India during corresponding period of time. India, Uttarakhand, and all districts of Uttarakhand recorded increase in relative social development index. Across the districts of the state, Dehradun recorded highest social development and the lowest in Uttarkashi. It was found that districts with higher social development in 1991 recorded lower change and vice-versa during 1991-2011. The convergence of social development had been recorded. Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar, and Hardwar were lagging behind in social development. It was recommended that the policy makers and planners to give special attention for these districts to bridge the gap.

Breast Cancer Risk Stratification and Screening Practices of Women in South Kerala, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The incidence of breast cancer is increasing in India, making it the most common cancer among women. Early detection of breast cancer is crucial for reducing morbidity, mortality, and improving the quality of life for patients. However, breast cancer mortality rates are higher in India compared to other parts of the world, possibly due to late-stage diagnosis. Regular screening is key to early detection, but population screening is not feasible in India due to limited resources. Therefore, high-risk screening is a more practical approach. Assessing individual risk using a breast cancer risk calculator can help identify asymptomatic women at high-risk and motivate them to undergo regular screening, leading to early detection. Aim: To assess the risk of developing breast cancer among women in Kerala using a breast cancer risk calculator and to describe their screening practices. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1861 women aged over 30 years in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Personal details of the participants, major known risk factors of breast cancer, and information about breast cancer screening practices were collected using a questionnaire. Breast cancer risk stratification was performed using the Snehita breast cancer risk calculator. Results: According to the breast cancer risk calculator, 12.74% of the women were classified as high-risk and 65.18% had a normal risk of developing breast cancer. Among the participants, 82.64% stated that they had never undergone any breast cancer screening procedures. Conclusion: Despite Kerala being a state with high female literacy rate, the screening practices for breast cancer were found to be very low (17.36%). Additionally, 12.74% of the women were identified as being at high-risk of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer risk calculators can serve as a motivational tool to encourage women to undergo regular screening.

Multilevel analysis of factors associated with perinatal intimate partner violence among postpartum population in Southern Ethiopia

Violence around pregnancy is critical in nature and major public health problem worldwide. Thus, the present study aims to determine the extent of perinatal partner violence and to identify its individual and community-level factors among postpartum women in Southern Ethiopia. A total of 1342 postpartum women nested in 38 ‘Kebles’ (clusters) were enumerated using multistage-clustered sampling techniques for multilevel analysis. Different parameters were computed for model comparison and model fitness. The overall prevalence of intimate partner violence before, during, and/or after pregnancy was estimated to be 39.9% [95% CI 36.9–44.5]. About 18% of women reported continuous abuse over the perinatal period. Postpartum women who live in rural areas [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.46; 95% CI 1.21–5.01], or in neighborhoods with high IPV favoring norms [AOR = 1.49; 95%CI 1.01–2.20], high female literacy [AOR = 2.84; 95%CI 1.62–5.01], high female autonomy [AOR = 2.06; 95%CI 1.36–3.12], or in neighborhoods with lower wealth status [AOR = 1.74; 95%CI 1.14–2.66] were more likely to encounter PIPV. The complex patterns of interplaying factors operating at different levels could put pregnant or postpartum women at higher risk of IPV victimization. Therefore, policies that prioritize the improvement of contextual factors, particularly norms toward IPV and women’s empowerment are likely to be the most effective interventions.

Spatial and Machine Learning Approach to Model Childhood Stunting in Pakistan: Role of Socio-Economic and Environmental Factors.

This study presents the determinants of childhood stunting as the consequence of child malnutrition. We checked two groups of factors—the socio-economic situation and climate vulnerability—using disaggregated sub-regional data in the spatial context. Data related to the percentage of stunted children in Pakistan for 2017 were retrieved from MICS 2017-18 along with other features. We used three quantitative models: ordinary least squares regression (OLS) to examine the linear relationships among the selected features, spatial regression (SDEM) to identify and capture the spatial spillover effect, and the Extreme Gradient Boosting machine learning algorithm (XGBoost) to analyse the importance of spatial lag and generate predictions. The results showed a high degree of spatial clustering in childhood stunting at the sub-regional level. We found that a 1 percentage point (p.p.) increase in multi-dimensional poverty may translate into a 0.18 p.p. increase in childhood stunting. Furthermore, high climate vulnerability and common marriages before age 15 each exacerbated childhood stunting by another 1 p.p. On the contrary, high female literacy and their high exposure to mass media, together with low climate vulnerability, may reduce childhood stunting. Model diagnostics showed that the SDEM outperformed the OLS model, as AICOLS = 766 > AICSDEM = 760. Furthermore, XGBoost generated the most accurate predictions in comparison to OLS and SDEM, having the lowest root-mean-square error (RMSE).

Women’s Literacy Rate and Women’s Labor Participation in ASEAN

Women have an essential contribution to economic growth and development. However, according to data, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) is still relatively high in developing countries, so special attention should be paid to aspects of women’s empowerment, health, and participation in the labor market as an indicator in measuring GII. In women’s empowerment, women’s education and women’s literacy are thought to affect women’s labor force participation. This study aims to examine and analyze the effect of women’s literacy rates on female labor force participation in ASEAN countries from 2010- 2017. The method used to analyze the effect on the model is the static panel data method. The results show that countries with high female literacy rates also have high female labor participation rates. The results help economists and policymakers evaluate measures to optimize women’s labor market decisions and empower women by improving women’s literacy rates.

Jesus Speaks Korean: Christianity and Literacy in Colonial Korea

In the mid 19 th century, pre-colonial Korea under the Joseon dynasty was increasingly isolated and lagging behind in its economic development. Joseon Korea was forced to sign unequal treaties with foreign powers as a result of which Christian missionaries entered the country and contributed to the establishment of private schools. We show that areas with a larger presence of Christians have higher literacy rates in 1930, during the Japanese colonial period. We also show that a higher number of Protestants is associated with higher female literacy, consistent with a stronger emphasis on female education in Protestant denominations.

Jesus Speaks Korean: Christianity and Literacy in Colonial Korea

In the mid 19th century, pre-colonial Korea under the Joseon dynasty was increasingly isolated and lagging behind in its economic development. Joseon Korea was forced to sign unequal treaties with foreign powers as a result of which Christian missionaries entered the country and contributed to the establishment of private schools. We show that areas with a larger presence of Christians have higher literacy rates in 1930, during the Japanese colonial period. We also show that a higher number of Protestants is associated with higher female literacy, consistent with a stronger emphasis on female education in Protestant denominations.

Interstate disparity in the performance of controlling crime against women in India: efficiency estimate across states

The present study attempts to analyse the performance of controlling the total crime against women of 27 major states in India, considering two decadal time periods, namely, 2001 and 2011, by comparing the crime control efficiency of these states. The estimation of the technical efficiency across states and overtimes is performed by application of the stochastic production frontier techniques on decadal panel data. Hausman test ensures that random effects model is appropriate for panel regression analysing. The results show that not all states with better crime control indicators have efficient control over crime against women. The results also reveal that poor women are more vulnerable to crime, whereas political empowerment enables women to avoid crime. Again, higher female literacy rate gives the voice to the women to protest any crime against her. Finally, the study concludes that investment for maintaining the law and order alone would not result in better control of crime against women. Efficient management of the investment is also required.

Reproductive tract infections: a self-reported community based study in urban training health centre area of a tertiary care hospital in Kottayam, Kerala, India

Background: The burden of reproductive tract infections (RTI) among urban women in the reproductive age group (15-49 years) is usually a hidden issue. Earlier studies from Kerala mainly focused on reproductive morbidity among commercial sex workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of RTI and its association with potential socio-demographic risk factors, based on self reported symptoms among females in the age group 15- 49 years in the Urban training Health Centre field practice area of Government Medical College, Kottayam. Methods: The study was conducted among 643 women of the reproductive age group by single stage cluster sampling technique. A pretested semi structured interview schedule was used for collecting data on the socio demographic profile, clinical symptoms and associated factors after obtaining informed consent. Univariate analysis was done to find association of RTI with various factors followed by a bivariate analysis using binary logistic regression model. Results: The prevalence of RTI was 11.8%. RTI was significantly associated with age at marriage (p=0.02), age at first child birth (p=0.01), type of family (p=0.002), female education (p=0.001), socioeconomic status (p=0.007) and previous history of RTI in last one year (p<0.01) of which 84.1% women with symptoms of RTI had consulted a health personnel. Conclusions: A low prevalence of self reported symptoms of RTI with a high treatment seeking behavior was observed; attributed to the high female literacy. A comparable prevalence in younger age group of 15-24 years (10.9%) and 25-39 years (12.9%) suggesting equal susceptibility of adolescents to RTI was a notable finding.

The public image of the herders in Lesotho and implication for the non-formal education curriculum

Higher reported female literacy rates in Lesotho have resulted from poverty and economic challenges which prohibit male access to education in that males drop out in higher numbers in search of employment mainly as herders, in order to supplement their family income resulting in higher female literacy rates. Whilst non-formal education (NFE) provision caters for adult herders, this provision seems to inadequately cover for the herders’ educational ambitions. This information gap calls for a need to establish a deeper understanding of who the herders are, how they live and how they want to live. The findings of this paper derive from a qualitative PhD study of 30 adult herders in Lesotho. The herders’ life histories and educational ambitions are filtered through identity theory in order to inform the national NFE policy. It emerged that the public image findings were reflected through themes of culture, masculinity and ‘othering’. This image influenced their social relationships and their learning ambitions. A recommendation is made on the need for NFE curriculum to address the herders’ public collectively in order to promote their – participation, retention, inclusion into the society whilst also addressing the power relations that might potentially inhibit education access.

Trends and Patterns of Educational Homogamy in India: A Marriage Cohort Analysis

Research in assortative mating in developing countries focused mainly on the cultural similarities of individuals till the most recent times. Educational homogamy was not considered a significant factor. This study examined the changes in educational homogamy of 39,257 ever-married couples in India for the three marriage cohorts 1964–1984, 1985–1995, and 1996–2006 by place of residence, religion, and economic background. The study also examined the regional pattern of educational homogamy based on female literacy and the probability of educational homogamy after adjusting for socioeconomic background of the respondent. Data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) was used for the study. The study observed significant increase in educational homogamy for the successive marriage cohorts. Homogamy is concentrated at the extremes of the educational attainment. In urban areas, homogamy is concentrated among the higher educated individuals whereas, in rural areas, homogamy is high among uneducated individuals. The results also depict regions with higher female literacy having the highest educational homogamy and vice versa. The study also found an increase in the probability of homogamy and a decline in hypogamy for literate women, after accounting for socioeconomic confounders.

A Study on Entrepreneurial Motivation and Challenges faced by Women Entrepreneurs in Thanjavur District

Objectives: This paper aims at making an empirical analysis on such factors that play a role of motivator in enhancing the aspect of entrepreneurship among women, with special reference to Thanjavur district. This paper also focuses attention on the challenges faced by women in the pursuit of entrepreneurship. Methods/Analysis: Descriptive research design was used. The primary data was collected from 400 samples from rural and urban areas of Thanjavur district using a structured questionnaire with the help of survey and snow ball sampling method. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. Findings: The result of the motivational factors indicates that financial need motivates women to the highest degree to become entrepreneurs compared to other factors like supplementing the family income, improve the social status, etc. Further, the study has used Rotated component Matrix to factorise the important motivational factors. The result of the Rotated component matrix reveals that the twelve variables were subjected to extraction method and finally the five factors were analysed. The first factor reveals that women have taken up this venture as a pass time activity and continue in the family occupation. Further the study also reveals that they have taken up such entrepreneurial venture to be economically independent and to improve the social status. The result also suggested that unfavourable market conditions and the stringent legal and regulatory conditions have been more challenging than the other problems. Finally the result shows that the women entrepreneurs have faced lot of personal challenges due to lack of information and imbalance between work and family life. Applications/Improvements: Thanjavur district has faced failures in the agricultural sector in the recent past due to failures in monsoon, water scarcity, etc. This has caused large scale unemployment and migration to urban industry creating huge quantum of socio, economic and cultural problems in the district. With mushrooming higher educational institutions in the district coupled with a high female literacy rate of 76.50 per cent (as per 2011 census), the researchers aim to concentrate on women entrepreneurship development, resulting in alternative sources of income for the district.

Detection of Genital HPV Infection Using Urine Samples: a Population Based Study in India.

Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer among Indian women and its association with human papilloma virus (HPV) is well established. This preventable cancer accounts for the maximum number of cancer related deaths among rural Indian women. Unlike in developed countries there are no organized cervical cancer screening programmes in India due to lack of resources and manpower. To detect genital HPV infection using urine samples among asymptomatic rural women in the age group of 18-65 years. The study area chosen was Perdoor village in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka State and all the women in the age group of 18-65 years formed the study cohort. A cross sectional study was conducted by house visits and 1,305 women were enrolled in the study. After taking written informed consent a data sheet was filled and early stream random urine samples were collected, transported to a laboratory at 4OC and aliquoted. Samples were tested using nested HPV PCR with PGMY09/11 and GP5+/6+ primers. Positive cases were genotyped by sequence analysis. Study participants included 1,134 sexually active and 171 unmarried women with a mean age at marriage of 22.1 (SD=3.9) years. Study area showed high female literacy rate of 86.6%. Five urine samples tested positive for HPV DNA (0.4%). We found very low genital HPV infection rate among women from monogamous community. This is the first major population based study carried out among asymptomatic rural women to detect genital HPV infectio from Karnataka using urine samples.

High infant mortality rate, high total fertility rate and very low female literacy in selected African countries.

This study focused on the top 10 selected African countries with key interventions such as high infant mortality rate, high total fertility rate and female literacy rate. The World Bank's 2013 data were used. Descriptive analyses were performed. Findings show that Sierra Leone (107.2), Angola (102) and Central Africa Republic (96.1) reported the highest infant mortality rate per 1000 live births. The total fertility rates in Niger (7.6), Mali (6.8) and Somalia (6.6) were higher than other comparable countries. Health care service providers need to pay more attention during pregnancy periods, improve number of field visits, identify pregnant women and promote 100% antenatal care if this is done practically, these countries will reduce and ultimately eliminate infant mortality.

Screening for Breast Cancer in a Low Middle Income Country: Predictors in a Rural Area of Kerala, India

In India, breast cancer is the leading malignancy among women in a majority of the cancer registries. Therefore it is important to understand screening practices and its predictors, including in rural areas with high female literacy and good health indices. A cross-sectional study with multistage sampling was conducted in Vypin Block, Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Four Panchayats (self administration units) were randomly chosen and a woman in every second household was invited to participate from the tenth ward of each. Thus a total of 809 women were interviewed. The majority of the repondents (82.1%) were not aware of risk factors and about a third (37.9%) were not aware of symptoms of breast cancer. About half of the population studied (46.6%) had undergone screening. Age (35-50 years), being married, health professionals as source of information and working were significant predictors of screening. Logistic regression showed that older women (35-50 yrs) were more likely to practice screening. Out of the never screened, about a third (35%) were desirous of doing it, but had not for various reasons and 53.5% were not willing to screen. The reasons identified for not screening among those desirous of doing it were grouped into knowledge 66 (43.4%), resources 23 (15.1%) and psychosocial 32(21.1%) factors. Unmarried women were significantly more likely to express factors related to all the three domains. This study showed that in spite of the absence of a population-based screening program, about half of the study population had undergone some type of screening. The older women (35-50 years) in particular were significantly more likely to practice screening. At this critical juncture, a high quality breast cancer awareness and screening initiative can help to consolidate the gains and tackle knowledge, resource and psychosocial barriers.

Theorizing Patriarchy: Development Paradoxes and the Geography of Gender in South Asia

The status of women in the Indian state of Kerala has long been portrayed as ideal in an otherwise highly patriarchal region of the world. And yet, as feminist scholars and activists in Kerala have long observed, reality fails to live up to popular imagination. Although the state boasts high female literacy, life expectancy, and a favorable sex ratio, female labor force participation rates in Kerala are among the lowest in India, and the mental health status of women in the state appears to be poor. Most troubling is the fact that violence against women in Kerala ranks among the highest of all India’s states. Thus, despite significant gains in economic development over the past several decades, the evidence strongly suggests that the status of women in Kerala has declined since the mid-twentieth century. The question, then, is how are we to make sense of these contradictory trends? What theoretical tools are required, and what factors explain the apparent persistence of patriarchal institutions? Finally, how might a deeper understanding of these factors inform our analyses of gender more broadly in the region? Using the paradox of development that the Kerala example presents, the objective of this article is to suggest a theoretical direction for broadly analyzing contemporary gender issues in the geographical studies of South Asia. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the intersections between economy and culture at multiple geographic scales, and the way particular gender ideologies emerge in the changing social, economic, political, and legal contexts.

Immunization Coverage in A Rural Community in Southwestern Nigeria

Background and aim: Poor immunization coverage especially in rural areas has led to a high burden of vaccine preventable diseases in children. The study assessed routine immunization coverage and its determinants in a rural community in South Western Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey using the WHO cluster survey design was conducted among children aged 12 to 23 months. Coverage was assessed by immunization cards. Results: A total of 440 mothers were interviewed with a mean age of 27.9 ± 5.7 years. The mean age of the children was 17.3 ± 3.7 months. Full immunization was recorded among 130(29.5%) children and of these only 53.8% completed their immunization by 12 months. The highest and lowest vaccine coverage was observed for DPT1 (90.2%) and Yellow fever (55%) respectively. The commonest reasons for failure to immunize were; non availability of vaccines (40%) and the mother being too busy (24.2%). Predictors of immunization status included maternal education (p=0.002), place of delivery (p<0.001), family type (p=0.04) and child’s birth order (p=0.03). Conclusion: The immunization coverage rate among children in this rural community was sub-optimal and lower dropout rates may be achieved by making vaccines readily available. High female literacy levels and delivery in health facilities need to be promoted.

Gender Equality in Fertility Choices in Tamil Nadu

The state of Tamil Nadu, located in South India, has been identified as a state with gender equality as is evident from a balanced sex ratio, higher age of marriage of women, lower fertility rates and higher female literacy. Using district level and village/town level data from Census 2001, we examine the role of different socio-economic factors to explain the gender differentials in sex ratio at the age below six years at following levels: 30 districts, 14,278 towns and 15,363 villages of Tamil Nadu. Our evidence suggests that improvements in female literacy rate and occupational status of male members engaged as agricultural workers or other workers exert a positive impact on the sex ratio. We also document that particularly vulnerable are children of households not belonging to the marginalised castes in the rural area, and also those who are economically relatively better off. Our results are in sharp contrast with the existing evidence on the determinants of sex ratio. The results remain invariant to the model specification even after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity at the district level.

Primary report on the risk factors affecting female infertility in South Indian districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala

In the present study an effort has been made to find out common factors responsible for female infertility in the three study areas. The prevalence of female infertility was 45.67% in Kanyakumari 44.24% in Thirunelveli and 41.91% in Thiruvananthapuram. Primary infertility is as common distressing problem in India as in other parts of the world. Zargar et al reported that the magnitude of primary infertility in India was 50%.. The present study clearly indicates that primary infertility was more dominating than secondary infertility in South India. A woman reaches her maximum fertility potential at the age of 30. We observed maximum number of infertile females in the age group of 25 - 30 years indicating a shift in the fertility potential age. Maximum women had 1- 5 years of infertility duration but Sumita and Ranjit reported that 57.5% were infertile for 2 - 5 years. We established more infertility in urban than rural areas while Mokhtar et al reported more infertility in rural areas. In India women with high school education and above have markedly higher infertility rate than the less educated. Kerala had set an example by having high female literacy and lower infertility. Interestingly the infertility percentage of unemployed females was more in all three study areas than the employed suggesting lifestyle stress. The incidence of infertility among women with a positive infertility family history among mothers and sisters was 24% and 32% respectively. In Kanyakumari 13.14% couples Thirunelveli 25.34% couples and Thiruvananthapuram 16.96% couples had a temporarily migrant male partner working abroad who failed to persist getting infertility treatment. According to Dabral and Malik usage of family planning methods increases with education of women. However we observed very few educated couples using contraceptives. Frank found that women with PCOS were concomitant with increased risk of infertility. Which is true in the present study where PCOS was the major cause for infertility.