Aggarwal's book gives a factual account of government policy towards women's
education in the post-Independence era. The title of the book is, however, rather
misleading. A descriptive review of the reports of various committees cannot be said to
discuss the issue of Indian women's education and status. The book does not explore the
interaction between the educational levels of women and their socio-economic status.
This is a complex issue with important consequences for policy-makers but the book
fails to address it. It offers no real insight into how the status of women determines their
access to educational pursuits, or into how access to education has influenced their
position in society. It is not within the scope of a historical survey of committee reports
to address issues of such complexity. The choice of title for the book is, therefore,
perplexing. A less factual and more analytical approach would have illuminated the
issue of female education in India in a more meaningful way. As it is, the book only
serves the purpose of familiarising the reader with governmental reports relating to
Indian women's education.
CHANANA, Karuna (ed) (1988) Socialisation, Education and Women: explorations
in gender identity, Sangam Books, London.
This is a collection of essays that explores the effect of education and socialisation on
the changing status of Indian women. The various articles in the volume reveal that not
only do Indian family and social structure socialise women in keeping with tradition,
"patriarchal" norms, but that this socialisation is reinforced by the educational system
itself. Leela Dube writes in "On the Construction of Gender: Hindu girls in patrilineal
India", that Hindu rituals, ceremonies, language and practices inculcate in young girls
the notions of self-restraint, self-denial, service of temporary membership within the
natal home. Similarly, Zarina Bhatty's article "Socialising of the Female Muslim Child
in Uttar Pradesh" points out that the legal and social inequalities of Muslim women in
reflected in the socialisation of Muslim female children in India from an early age to
the established norms and practices. This socialisation is often reinforced by the
educational system. Karuna Chanana's essay "Social Change or Social Reform: women,
education and family in pre-independence India", states that supporters of women's
education promoted the idea of traditional role reinforcement through the curricula -
women were to receive an education largely to be better wives and mothers. In
"Women's Nature and Access to Education in Bengal", Malvika Karlekar shows how
traditional notions on the constitution of "women's nature" have circumscribed female
access to education from its beginnings in the 19th century up to date. There is a
commonality of views among policy makers that there is a potential conflict between
the demands of education and what they perceive as the "essential nature" of women.
This collection of essays by Indian writers is a valuable addition to the literature on
gender and education in India. It not only analyses the sociology of female education in
India, but also critically examines the contribution of education to improving women's
status in India. The essays indicate that patriarchal structures severely retard the options