Socio-Economic Determinants of School Attendance in India

This paper investigates the socio-economic determinants of school attendance in India, and the possible causes of disadvantage faced by the girl child. Based on Census data for 1981 and 1991, the determinants of inter-district variations in school attendance are explored, separately for boys and girls. A similar analysis is applied to the gender bias in school attendance. The results indicate that school attendance is positively related to school accessibility and parental education, and negatively related to poverty and household size. Interestingly, a positive association emerges between women’s labour-force participation and children’s school attendance; possible explanations of this pattern are discussed. The gender bias in school attendance declines with school accessibility and parental education, and rises with household size. Panel data analysis based on the random-effects model supports the cross-section findings. [Working Paper No. 103]