Women School Teachers in India: A Literature Review of the Feminization of the Teaching Workforce

Teaching is increasingly understood to be feminized profession, both demographically in terms of the growing number of female school teachers, and qualitatively, as a profession culturally associated with women (UNESCO , 2025). In the context of ongoing debates around gender equity in education leadership (UNESCO, 2025; Kelleher, 2011), this literature review builds on the qualitative conceptualization of feminization to explore it as a social process shaping school teaching in India. Two key questions are posed: (1) How does an increasing presence of women in school teaching relate to social perceptions about the profession? and (2) What implications does this have for women’s career progression and leadership opportunities within school education? This review draws on qualitative and quantitative evidence on perceptions of school teaching and the experience of women teachers and school leaders in India. Using key terms such as ‘feminization’, ‘gender’, and ‘women teachers’ across selected education databases, relevant peer-reviewed journal articles and reports from global and Indian contexts were identified and analyzed. Findings indicate that teaching in India is perceived as a ‘safe’ and ‘respectable’ profession, appealing to women for its compatibility with their domestic responsibilities and flexible working hours. However, feminization reinforces socio-cultural expectations of women as caregivers, resulting in a dual burden of professional and household labor. This dynamic contributes to the social construction of teaching as an extension of women’s caregiving roles, perpetuating stereotypes that hinder women’s opportunities in or for leadership positions. This review concludes by identifying gaps in the existing literature, particularly the absence of intersectional approaches to women teachers’ experiences. Methodological and contextual limitations are also noted, indicating the need for more nuanced and inclusive research on their professional trajectories in education.