This document summarizes a study on female teachers in Rajasthan, India. The study aims to understand how female teachers serve as role models and agents of change in their communities. It explores questions around gender discrimination in education administration, the status of female teachers, and the challenges they face. Preliminary findings suggest teaching is seen as a safe profession for women that allows them to balance work and household duties. However, some male views still reflect gender stereotypes. The study faces limitations in not fully exploring the caste dimension and not using recording devices. It concludes that while education does not directly equate to empowerment, each educated family benefits the next generation.

1. A Gendered Study of the Teaching
Profession in Rajasthan: Female Teachers
as Role Models in the Community
Ankita Thakur, Rashi Tailang and Shivani Bail

2. Background
• Disproportionate difference in the literacy levels between girls
and boys in Rajasthan
• Significant shortage of female teachers in the state
• Link between the recruitment of female teachers and the
enrollment and retention of girl students, particularly at the
upper primary level

3. Objectives
• To understand what influences female teachers to become role
models and agents of change in their community
• To understand if female teachers are able to recognise patterns of
gender discrimination in their personal lives and connect this to
their professional environment
• How the employment of women is changing society if at all

4. Questions
• In terms of administration and leadership, is the education system in Rajasthan
loaded against women?
• What is the status of female teachers within the community?
• Does education increase a woman’s authority at home?
• What are the challenges female teachers face in their schools?
• What are the factors that break-down gender stereotypes?
Additional questions
• What do educated men think of female teachers?
• How does caste influence gender?
• What changes are taking place as a result of the growing presence of women
in the workforce?

5. Literature review
• Employment Vs empowerment
• Lived realities
• Women as suited for the profession owing to their ‘natural’
abilities to nurture.

6. Assumptions
• The teaching profession attracts a lot of women
• There is discrimination against women when it comes to promotions
• The government has made special arrangements to encourage women to
become teachers – reservations, incentives, etc
• Wealthy families send their daughters to study
• Female teachers reinforce gender stereotypes
• Communities don’t accept teachers from a different caste
• Girls drop out of school because there aren’t any female teachers to
teach them

7. Preliminary findings
• Teaching is considered a safe profession for women. It gives them a lot of holidays
and its timings allow them to manage their household and work at the same time
• Women do not feel that there is discrimination against them in terms of promotions.
Reluctance to take on more responsibility.
• The government has reserved 33 per cent of teaching jobs for women
• The Rajput community is quite wealthy but they don’t send their daughters to
school. Jats and Meghwals do.
• Female teachers reinforce gender stereotypes.
• The teachers we met were from the Rajput, Jat, Brahmin, Jain communities. We
could meet only one teacher from the SC community.
• Girls drop out of school because families believe that an educated girl will destroy
the traditional fabric of society. The lack of a female teacher provides an excuse for
families.

8. Population and sampling
• Critical case sampling
• Purposeful random sampling
• Maximum variation sampling
• Snowball sampling
Population: 13 Schools 37 teachers

9. Sample questions
Teachers
• After how many years of service should a teacher be promoted?
What are the different promotional options available?
• What are the qualities of a teacher that helps them get promoted?
Parents
Would you educate your daughters to become teachers?
Officials
How many women teachers are head masters in Barmer district?

10. Findings and Analysis
• Promotions
Based on seniority in the past. Now they can directly become HM
Female teachers don’t want too much responsibility
Teachers feel that there is no bias when it comes to promotions.
Female teachers made HM of girls’ schools
Promotions take place in urban areas
Subject bias in promotions
A promotion primarily means an increase in salary

11. Findings and Analysis
• Male views on female teachers
Education of women is connected to social problems such as divorce and the
splitting of joint families
They don’t like written work
They get children to do their personal work
They come late and leave early
Education is just a job
That they are under the thumb of their husbands and can’t do any extra school
work
That teaching is a good profession for women because it suits their natural
abilities, it’s safe and its timings suit their other responsibility to the home

12. Findings and Analysis
• Female views on teaching
They feel respected, feel an increase in self-esteem
Enjoy more freedom/ independence… gives them time away from home
Gives them a chance to increase the income of their family
Helps them cope with a life of struggle
Gives them a chance to do things differently
Allows them to work with children
Safe profession because of its timings

13. Findings and Analysis
• Exceptions
Death
When people travel. Exposure to other cultures
When they are exceptional individuals
Interface with the arts

14. Findings and Analysis: Themes
• What is the role of education in empowerment?
• Puberty. Class 8. This is when they realise they want to study
• Education and the destruction of traditional values. “Too much freedom
is not good”
• Preserving the values of a woman
• Caste and gender – both lower castes and women are oppressed groups.
Female teachers from a certain caste background
• Safety of girls in remote areas
• Fear of the unknown
• Working women change the way their families perceive them

15. Limitations
• Did not look at the caste dimension of our topic in detail
• Could not interview government higher officials
• Could not use tape recorders
• Could not build a rapport with our subjects
• We met many teachers who were not interested in sharing their
story with us
• Breaking the ice despite not knowing the language

16. Ethical concerns
• Not spending enough time with our interviewees
• Not having an accurate record of the interviews leading to the
possible misinterpretation of data

17. Conclusion
• Education and empowerment no direct connection
• To say that no change is taking place is also simplistic
• With every family that is educated, the next generation benefits