Christians best educated, but struggling with unemployment

Although Christians are the most educated, a national news agency reported, the miniscule community to be struggling with unemployment.

According to the Times of India (TOI) report last week, Christians are better educated, economically better off and adopt a more equitable attitude towards women but unemployment has been a serious rising issue.

"Christians have the highest literacy rate among all religious communities. For men, it is 80% in rural areas and 96% in urban areas. For women, it is 69% in rural areas and 89% in urban areas. This is way ahead of other communities, especially for women," quoted the TOI.

However, among Hindus and Muslims, only about 41% of the women are literate in the rural areas. In urban areas, 73% of Hindu women and 60% of Muslim women are literate.

The National Sample Survey report in 2004–05 shows that a large proportion of Christian children start attending educational institutions earlier, and continue till later. Moreover, there are proportionately more graduates among Christians than in any other community.

It also noted that the Christian community has the highest proportion of the elderly— nearly 20% of the total. Among Hindus it is 14%, while among Muslims, it is 11%. This may be because of better economic status and educational levels, which would tend to lower birth rates and increase longevity, thereby skewing the age structure upwards compared to other communities.