In a shocking discovery, it is learned that Indian boys pay up to 33% premium for education compared to girls. National Sample Survey (NSS) report titled, “Women Men In India – 2017”, shows the average expenditure (in Rupees) of men and women pursuing a general education at different levels. Calculations shown in the table reveals that boys spend more in all levels of education except for Graduate and PG level for rural areas.
Higher expenses for boys’ education start from as early as the Primary level where boys in rural areas have to shell out 22% more money compared to girls. Urban boys pay 12% more for primary education. Whereas this gender discrimination seems to be narrower in urban areas, the rural boys spend anywhere between 22-42% extra for education up to diploma level. Overall, till the Diploma education, a rural boy spends 33% more money compared to a girl.
In urban India however, this gender bias is narrower. Boys here spend anywhere between 4% – 12% extra for education up to Diploma level. Overall, Urban boys pay 8% extra for their diploma.
NSS Survey shows that the same trend continues even in Higher Secondary level and rural boys shell out 23% more compared to rural girls. Urban boys need to spend 18% premium for Higher Secondary education.
At the graduation level, however, the disparity decreases to some extent and overall up to graduation a rural boy spends around 12% extra, and an urban boy spends 10% ‘gender surcharge’ for education.
This disparity, however, gets eliminated at a PG and higher level for rural boys, whereas urban boys pay 11% premium for their higher degree.
When the focus is to increase education in girls, it is the boys who pay a premium for subsidized education for girls and no one seems to care about that gender bias.
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The Male Factor (TMF) 
As has been throughout recorded history of humanity, men and boys pay up for everything the women want and need with their efforts and lives. This provider thing is inherent in men and boys. In older less technology driven and comfort oriented days women and girls knew about this because they have been taught to not get egoistic about the benefits they get from patriarchal system. But when technology and comfort developed by men freed up men and women together in the last century, women suddenly felt the freedom to have their own ego, as masculine stuff got revered more, even though men were needed less. So men continue to pay and get berated for being men.
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