From Adolescence to Early Adulthood: A Case Study of Gendered Trajectories through School in India Uma Vennam Anuradha Komanduri Jen Roest Young Lives – India and Oxford Adolescence, Youth and Gender conference Oxford, 8-9 September 2016

1. From Adolescence to Early Adulthood: A Case
Study of
Gendered Trajectories through School in India
Uma Vennam Anuradha Komanduri Jen Roest
Young Lives – India and Oxford
Adolescence, Youth and Gender conference
Oxford, 8-9 September 2016

2. Overview
• The Study
• Young Lives Sample
• Survey Statistics
• Qualitative data
• Factors Influencing Trajectories
• Case Studies
• Conclusion

3. The Study
• Looks at the educational pathways of adolescent boys and girls
in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
-when gender inequality begins
-whether gender disparities persist
-impact of gendered norms on children’s trajectories
• Uses longitudinal qualitative data and descriptive survey
statistics
• Adopts a case study approach to explore intersecting factors at
individual, household and community level that explain
changing trajectories over time.

4. Young Lives Sample
AGES: 1 5 8 12 15
YOUNGERCOHORT
Following 2,000 children
OLDERCOHORT
Following 1,000 children
AGES: 8 12 15 19 22
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5
2002 2006 2009 2013 2016
Same age children at
different time points
Qualitative nested sample
1 2 3 4
Linked
school surveys

5. Young Lives Sample: India
Quantitative - 20 sites = 3,000 children
1000 Older Cohort; 2000 Younger Cohort
Older Cohort Round 4: 952; 465 Male 487 Female
Qualitative - 4 sites ; 48 of these children
for in-depth case studies
Qual4 : 23; 11Female; 12 Male

6. Sub-SampleSub-Sample and Methodsand Methods
• 4 Sites – 1Urban, 2Rural
1Tribal
• 48 Children – 24 Boys
and 24 Girls
• Individual interviews
with children, care givers
and service providers
• Group-based methods
• School and Home
Observation

7. Status at R4 : Education and Work
Status at
19
Male% Female% Total %
Only Studying 33.76 33.06 33.40
Study and
Work
22.80 7.80 15.13
Only Work 39.79 32.03 35.82
Neither Work
nor Study
3.66 27.10 15.65

8. Current educational level
enrolled
Male
No.
Male
%
Female
No.
Femal
e
%
Total
No.
Total
%
Not enrolled 202 43.44 288 59.14 490 51.47
Secondary 2 0.43 2 0.41 4 0.42
Higher Secondary 58 12.47 24 4.93 82 8.61
Post-Secondary/Vocational 48 10.32 24 4.93 72 7.56
University 155 33.33 149 30.6 304 31.93
Total 465 100 487 100 952 100
Level of Education

9. Schooling Schooling
&Work
Dropout-
Fulltime
Work
Dropout-
Marriage-
Parenthoo
d
Schooling
&
Marriage
Male 3 2 6 1
Female 3 2 1 4 1
Status : Qual Sample

10. Factors Influencing Trajectories
• Individual : Aspirations and Ambitions
• Household : Parental Aspirations, Support, Economic factors,
• Community : Norms; Birth order
• Social Protection : Government and NGO support
Various Factors Intersect: Always a combination of factors

11. Factors Influencing Trajectories
• Gender : More Girls than Boys drop out: get married early
• Family Wealth Index : Poorer Terciles – Boys into Fulltime
Work; Girls Marriage
• Location: Influences Educational status of young people:
Variation between those in fulltime education – Urban 48.94%
Rural 26.77%
• Managing education and work 7.74% of the urban sample does
both and 18.35% in the rural sample.
• In the category of managing education and work : engaging in
unpaid work more in rural areas (11.28%)- more girls- urban
areas (2.11%)
• Caste: Other castes more likely to be enrolled in fulltime
education (51%) Scheduled Castes (29.9) Scheduled Tribes 30%
and Backward Castes (27%)

12. Factors Influencing Trajectories : Case
Studies
• Early Drop Out-Early Work- Early Marriage – Distance to School-
Safety and Security : Latha and Bhavana
• Parental Education and Aspirations for Children: Vinay,
Santhi, Keerthi
• Family Circumstances : Father’s Death (Salman) Mother’s
Illhealth (Ameena) Indebtedness (Ravi)
• Community Norms : Harika

13. Summary
• Persisting Gender Gaps : Need More Focus
• Fewer Girls into Vocational Education
• Impact of MIgration
• Early School drop outs –early marriage
• Unpaid HH/Farm Work- Low Attendance-School Drop-Early
Marriage
• Residential schools facilitate continuation in school-Delay
marriage

14. www.younglives.org.uk
@YLOxford
•methodology and research papers
•child profiles and photos
•e-newsletter
•datasets (UK Data Archive)
FINDING OUT MORE