Young Lives: Longitudinal study of poverty and inequality
Fact Sheets on Education and Learning; Health, Nutrition and Well-being; Work and Family Lives
Telangana
Double burden of malnutrition, stagnation in reading comprehension, and poor-quality jobs co-exist with economic development
Hyderabad, May 30: Young adults in general and also from the marginalised sections of society have been experiencing significant progress in completion of higher secondary level of education along with increased enrolment in universities; a significant reduction in child marriages; widespread use of digital technology keeping up with the momentum towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals targeted at 2030. This progress has been largely possible with the policy initiatives of State and programmatic interventions of both Government and civil society organisations. However, there are some pitfalls in the achievements in education, health, nutrition and work participation for the young adults. Key indicators in education like reading comprehension indicating quality of education has not improved with more years of schooling; youth faced a double burden of malnutrition – both undernutrition and overweight or obesity; and are faced with poor quality jobs. The findings drawn from the Young Lives Round 7 Survey carried out in Telangana in the year 2023-24 reveal that early-life socio-economic inequalities in the form of caste/tribe or income levels and disadvantage faced by women who experienced child marriage and early motherhood are still strong predictors of educational achievements and reading comprehension test performance, university enrolment; rates and quality of employment. Young adults also faced a double burden of malnutrition – underweight and overweight or obesity, witnessed stress, anxiety, and depression.
An encouraging feature is that an increasing number of young people are transitioning from education to the labour market at a later age compared to their older counterparts at the same age. Although a majority of young people at age 29 are engaged in the labour market, they lack access to better quality jobs, face long working hours, and experience dissatisfaction with their jobs. Meanwhile, a majority of men and women have shifted to non-agricultural work across urban and rural areas. Although the labour force participation in Telangana for women (between 15-29 age-group in 2021-22) remains higher (44.7%) than the national average (32.8%), the gender gap in employment persists. These findings underscore the need for the State to review its SDG 5 and 8 targets, on gender equality and decent work which are linked to achieving other SDGs.
The double burden of underweight and overweight/obesity among youth suggests that improving nutrition and healthy lifestyles is critical to achieving SDG 2.1. The incidence of underweight is associated with early-life inequalities such as participants belonging to a socially disadvantaged caste/tribe, living in rural areas, and those with mothers with less education. A majority of men and those from wealthier and ‘Other caste’ or General caste households consumed more than five food groups indicating diversity in food consumption. In addition to these challenges, young people from historically disadvantaged castes showed higher levels of symptoms associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. These findings highlight the importance of public policies to address inequalities that originate in childhood and continue into adulthood. There is a need for comprehensive policies that promote greater food diversity, regulate the consumption of unhealthy foods, and enhance access to healthy food, while simultaneously promoting healthier lifestyles.
Efforts toward universalising school education have yielded substantial gains, with Telangana demonstrating significant progress in higher secondary school completion and university enrolment over the past seven years. The Young Lives Round 7 findings reflect these advances, even in the face of COVID-19-related disruptions. Importantly, the state has succeeded in bringing more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds—especially women and those from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes—achieving universal secondary education level and also substantial gains at higher secondary level, reinforcing momentum towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. Despite these achievements, critical gaps remain. The disparity in educational attainment is particularly pronounced for women who experienced child marriage or early motherhood, most of whom come from socio-economically vulnerable backgrounds. These early-life transitions significantly constrain educational attainment and hinder progress toward achieving SDG 4.5, which aims to eliminate gender disparities in education. Given the centrality of digital literacy to 21st-century learning and labour markets, it is essential not only to expand access and use but also to ensure that digital inclusion translates into meaningful skill acquisition. The stagnation in reading comprehension outcomes between ages 15 and 22 for all cohorts and decline among scheduled castes highlights a disconnect between schooling and learning. Moving forward, education policy in Telangana must prioritise two interconnected goals: enhancing learning quality and ensuring equitable access to post-secondary education and digital tools. Scheduled castes need to be paid more attention by policy makers as their educational achievements are the least among all social groups.
Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad, is conducting a longitudinal international research study called “Young Lives study (YL)” since 2001-02 to understand the dynamics of child poverty and its impacts on children’s lives, opportunities, and prospects. The uniqueness of the research project is that it follows the same children over time, allowing researchers to track changes in their lives as they grow up. The study has conducted seven rounds of data collection with a three or four-year gap between the rounds, and the seventh round of the survey was conducted in 2023-24. The younger cohort was 22 years, and the older cohort was 29 years old. The focus of the study is on poverty and inequality. The data collected includes health, nutrition, education and learning, skills and employment, socio-economic development, work and family lives, and household characteristics.
Honourable Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Women & Child Welfare, Smt. D. Anasuya Seethakka garu, was the Chief Guest. The preliminary findings through the factsheets were released by her along with Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Editor, Economic and Political Weekly and Distinguished Professor, ICFAI School of Social Sciences; Dr. Renu Singh, Country Director, Young Lives India; Prof. E. Revathi, Director, CESS; and Dr. P. Prudhvikar Reddy. Dr. Padmaja, CPO, NHM (National Health Mission), senior officers from government departments, NGOs, academicians, and researchers participated in the dissemination workshop.