Gender suitability still a decisive factor for students while choosing courses

Though Delhi University has made long strides in bridging the gender divide, aspirants continue to view the courses they select from the prism of 'masculine' and 'feminine' courses.

DU hitherto had several courses dominated by male students, but over the past one decade women have been making inroads into the male bastion.

However, several professors told Millennium Post that there is still a lot of work to be done to break the 'glass ceiling'.

When she was unable to figure out a course to choose, Loveena Joseph was told by her parents to pursue a BSc Bio Chemistry.

They believe that she will excel in the subject as women develop a natural inclination towards biology.

"Most of my cousins are working abroad as nurses. They have a good life and were told by their parents to pursue biology in school. Many men in my native village in Kerala marry nurses as that is their ticket to the US," Loveena says.

While Loveena is still confused about her course preference, Ritesh from a government school in Rohini is sure that Economic (Hons) is the right course for him, as it is a "hard subject".

"The course will definitely give me a lot of respect. I don't believe there should be a divide between the courses men and women choose, but the reality is different. If I take up a soft subject, my friends will make fun of me," says Ritesh.

Aryabhatta College, in early 1980's, did not have a single female student. "Now, around 25 per cent of the student population is comprised of women," says Harish Dhawan, Economics professor at Aryabhatta College, .

Dhawan himself has seen the University evolve over the past few years, as subjects earlier dominated by men – such as Mathematics, Physics and Economics – have seen women make forays.

"I have seen my own college change. Women have certainly become bolder and are venturing into male-dominated subjects. The recently introduced Mathematics course has also seen a lot of women applicants," said Dhawan.

Women may be venturing into male-dominated courses, but the converse is still rare as men have limited seats in courses like Psychology, considered a 'soft subject', with only three co-educational colleges offering the course.

Dr Abha Dev Habib, who teaches Physics at Miranda House, believes that both men and women have to face pressure from society and ultimately submit themselves to preordained course choices.

"Many men are discouraged from taking up Botany and Life Sciences and are sometimes shamed for these choice," said Habib.

"Female students are often told to choose courses with flexible timings and a career which will give them enough time to look after children. This has also led to dwindling number of women applying for PhD courses," claims Habib.

"Women are discouraged to take up courses involving rigorous lab work, like Physics, and instead asked to take up Humanities subjects, which have a flexible course schedule when compared to Science courses, which have a more structured exchange of information," says Habib.