Gender, Region, and Development: Tracing the Trajectory of Women’s Literacy in Post-Independence Western Odisha

Nakhat Shaheen

Gender, Region, and Development: Tracing the Trajectory of Women’s Literacy in Post-Independence Western Odisha

Author(s)	Dr. Nakhat Shaheen
Country	India
Abstract	This paper examines the historical trajectory of women’s literacy in Western Odisha in the post-Independence period, situating it at the intersection of gender, region, and development. Although post-1947 India positioned education as a central instrument of democratic modernization, regional disparities persisted, particularly in economically marginalized and culturally distinct regions such as Western Odisha. Drawing on Census data, government policy documents, and regional educational initiatives, the study traces the uneven expansion of female literacy from the early decades after Independence to the present. It argues that progress in women’s literacy has been shaped not only by state-led programmes such as the National Literacy Mission and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, but also by deeply embedded socio-cultural structures, agrarian vulnerabilities, tribal demographics, and the linguistic distinctiveness of the Sambalpuri-Koshali region. The analysis foregrounds how caste hierarchies, early marriage, seasonal migration, poverty, patriarchal norms, and infrastructural deficits mediate girls’ access, retention, and completion in schooling. At the same time, it highlights the gradual yet significant impact of self-help groups, local activism, welfare schemes, and decentralized governance in expanding educational aspirations and participation. By conceptualizing literacy both as a statistical measure and as a socio-cultural process, the paper moves beyond quantitative growth to interrogate the qualitative dimensions of empowerment, agency, and intergenerational change. Ultimately, it contends that women’s literacy in Western Odisha reflects a layered narrative of developmental ambition and structural constraint, revealing both substantive progress and persistent unevenness within India’s broader modernization project.
Keywords	Women’s Literacy; Western Odisha; Gender and Development; Regional Disparities; Post-Independence India
Field	Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-08

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Gender, Region, and Development: Tracing the Trajectory of Women’s Literacy in Post-Independence Western Odisha

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