An Assessment of Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Literacy Differentials and Gender Imbalance in Chitrakoot District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Literacy and sex ratio are the ideal reference to socio-economic development and gender equity. The question under scrutiny in this research is; Which are the spatio-temporal relations of the differentials of literacy and gender imbalance in Chitrakoot District, Uttar Pradesh using block-level census data in 2001 and 2011. Among the research agenda was systematic evaluation of the general literacy trends, the disparity in male and female literacy, block-sex-ratio trends and how literacy and sex ratio are correlated. Decadal change analysis and gender-gap scrutiny of the secondary data based on the District Census Handbooks were analyzed with the help of GTS-based thematic mapping. The rank correlation coefficient of Spearman was used to examine the relationship between literacy and sex-ratio. The results reveal significant inequalities in the patterns of literacy and sex-ratio, and not evenly spread out administrative blocks. Although the female literacy levels increased, and the gender differences did too, the correlation between literacy and the sex ratio remained insignificant which explains why the specific, block-oriented measures should be taken to ensure the promotion of inclusive and gender-balanced development.