By Moa Jamir
The Gender Statistics 2025 offers a telling snapshot of a change that has been steadily unfolding in Nagaland, not through slogans or sudden policy shocks, but through years of quiet, organic progress. Across education and employment, women are increasingly visible with positive consequences.
The data does not suggest a contest between genders; rather, it points to one group making sustained and commendable strides within the available social and institutional space.
The most striking indicator is education. Women now form a clear majority in medical and allied undergraduate courses in the state. From MBBS and nursing to para-medical and pharmacy programmes, female enrolment has not only surpassed male enrolment but widened the gap over the past three academic years.
In MBBS alone, women accounted for roughly six out of every ten students between 2022–23 and 2024–25, reinforcing a pattern that has held steady rather than fluctuated. This matters, not merely as a numerical achievement, but because it reflects persistence across cohorts, an indication that young women are not just entering these demanding fields, but staying the course.
At the same time, the data reveals contrasts that are equally instructive. Engineering remains overwhelmingly male-dominated, with female enrolment declining even as overall intake rises. This divergence underscores that progress is uneven and sector-specific. Yet, it also highlights choice and pathways rather than exclusion alone. Women’s strong presence in health, life sciences, and allied professional education suggests alignment between aspiration, opportunity, and social acceptance, an ecosystem that has matured over time.
Seen in a longer historical frame, these recent gains build on significant improvements since the early 2000s. The 2011 Census recorded a literacy rate of 79.6% in Nagaland, up from 66.6% in 2001.
Female literacy rose from 61.5% to 76.1% over the decade— an impressive 14.6 percentage point increase—while male literacy improved from 71.2% to 82.8%. Even then, participation gaps persisted: only 17.01% of the female population attended educational institutions compared to 18.23% of males.
The current data from HSLC, HSSLC and tertiary education, however, suggests that these gaps are not merely narrowing but, in many cases, reversing, with girls and young women increasingly outperforming and outnumbering their male counterparts.
What is particularly noteworthy is that these gains appear organic, not driven by sudden expansion of quotas or artificial spikes, but by consistent outcomes across school completion, higher secondary success, and college enrolment. Women now form the majority in Nagaland’s colleges overall, and dominate the teaching workforce in both schools and higher education. This points to a reinforcing cycle: educated women becoming educators, shaping the next generation.
Beyond classrooms and campuses, these shifts are beginning, albeit modestly, to reflect in public life. Female representation in Nagaland Government employment has inched upward over the past decade, and while overall government employment growth remains sluggish, women have gained ground particularly in higher-ranked posts. The 2024 Urban Local Body elections and the historic entry of women into the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 2023 further signal that educational gains are slowly translating into civic and political visibility.
Yet, challenges persist. Gains in education and enrolment do not automatically dismantle deeper social barriers. Gendered expectations, unequal care responsibilities, and long-standing patriarchal norms often continue to influence the pace and pathways through which women’s achievements are reflected in leadership, community life, and decision-making.
Still, the broader picture is unmistakably positive. Nagaland’s women are not advancing by displacing men, but by expanding the collective capacity of the state. The journey, rooted in classrooms, sustained by perseverance, and increasingly visible in public institutions, marks a transformation worth recognising, nurturing, and building upon.
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