Education and bank use among Telangana women on the rise, yet nearly 1 in 3 report spousal violence

51.1% of women in Telangana have completed 10 or more years of schooling, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), an increase from 45.5% recorded in NFHS-5 (2019-21).

According to findings of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), women in Telangana are more educated, digitally connected and financially capable than ever before. But the survey also highlights a harsh reality: nearly one in three women who have ever married in the state said they experienced spousal violence.

The survey, released by the Department of Health and Welfare, paints a picture of social progress across a range of indicators relating to women’s education, access to technology, financial inclusion and participation in household decision-making. It also shows that violence against women is still prevalent despite the improvements recorded since the previous survey.

10 or more years of schooling

According to NFHS-6, 51.1% of women in Telangana have completed 10 or more years of schooling, compared to 45.5% recorded in NFHS-5 (2019-21). This figure is also higher than the national average of 46.4%.

Bank accounts and internet usage

The survey noted an even sharper increase in internet use among women. Almost two-thirds of women in Telangana, 64.8%, said they had ever used the Internet, up from 26.5% in NFHS-5. This number is slightly higher than the national average of 64.3%. As many as 92.3% of women in Telangana reported having a bank or savings account that they use themselves, compared to 78.6% in NFHS-5. Nationally, the figure is 89%.

The survey found that women continue to play an active role in household decision-making. Among currently married women aged 15 to 49, 89.9% reported participating in decisions about their own health care, major household purchases, and visits to family or relatives. The use of sanitary protection methods during menstruation among young women aged 15 to 24 years has reached 95.3% in Telangana, which is higher than the national average of 79.2%.

The proportion of women who were paid in cash for work increased from 45.1% in NFHS-5 to 53.2% in NFHS-6. The survey also found an improvement in property ownership by women. The share of households in which a woman owns a house and/or land alone or together with others increased from 22.3% to 31.1%.

Spousal violence

Despite these gains across multiple indicators, the survey found that 30.8% of ever-married women aged 18 to 49 in Telangana had experienced spousal violence at some point in their lives. While this represents an improvement over the NFHS-5, when the corresponding figure was 37.2%, the prevalence remains substantially higher than the national average of 22.3%.

The survey also noted a decrease in violence during pregnancy. Among women aged 18 to 49 who had ever been pregnant, 2.7% reported experiencing physical violence during pregnancy, compared with 4% in the NFHS-5. Another violence-related indicator showed that 0.6% of young women aged 18–29 reported experiencing sexual violence before the age of 18.

Published – 30 May 2026 12:48 IST