WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: MILESTONES ACHIEVED AND YET TO BE ACHIEVED

The gender gap in India's higher education has been shrinking. This article states that although multiple interventions enabled the attainment of this milestone, distance education has played a crucial role in closing the gap. To substantiate the criticality of distance education, it uses female distance learners' views. Next it states that notwithstanding the rise in female enrolment, women's occupancy of leadership position in academia remains disproportionate to the gains made in terms of their access to higher education. It concludes that although the milestone pertaining to women's representativeness in leadership roles is yet to be achieved, rise in female enrolment and attainments in academic areas justify the optimism about its attainment.