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@article{209499,
        author = {Pramila Sharma},
        title = {Employability Focused Reforms in Higher Education and Women's Political Participation in India: An Empirical Assessment},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {5},
        pages = {1815-1820},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=209499},
        abstract = {The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has changed the direction of higher education in India by giving strong importance to employability, skill development and vocational learning. Most discussions on these reforms look only at their economic value. This paper looks at a different question: do employability-focused reforms in higher education also help women take a bigger part in politics? Using government data on education and elections, along with existing research, the paper studies whether skill-based education is connected to voting, contesting elections, joining Panchayati Raj institutions, and taking part in policy discussions. The paper finds that while more women are now entering higher education and even voting more than men in recent elections, this has not led to equal growth in women contesting elections or holding political office. The gap is explained by social norms, regional differences, and weak links between skill policy and civic education. The paper suggests that education reform should be treated as a tool for both economic and political empowerment of women.},
        keywords = {NEP 2020, Higher Education, Employability, Women's Political Participation, Panchayati Raj, India},
        month = {October},
        }