Bridging the gender gap in STEM

Despite the government’s efforts to promote gender equality through the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (Save Daughters, Educate Daughters) initiative, a study by BiasWatchIndia shows that only 13.5% of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) faculty members in 98 Indian universities and institutes are women. This comes at a time when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during the February 2024 interim budget speech, highlighted a 28% rise in female enrolment in higher education over the past decade. She also mentioned that 43% of STEM course enrolments are women, one of the highest rates globally, and said these measures are leading to more women participating in the workforce.

Of course, the representation of women in STEM and higher education faculty is far less than their male counterparts. Women hold only 14% of STEM jobs in India, and only 2-5% may reach top-level positions. However, educational institutes especially the IITs and IIMs are making efforts to increase these numbers. Last year, IIM Jammu launched a STEM programme for youth in J&K and Ladakh. Several IIMs have STEM-embedded MBA, which are popular among the students. IIM Sambalpur has achieved a 60% female ratio in its latest MBA batch.

IIT Delhi has started its third batch of a STEM mentorship programme for high school girls in Classes 9 and 11. IIT Guwahati organised sessions for 3,311 school students in 12 batches to promote STEM. Over 2,000 of these participants were girls, making up about 65% of the total. In fact, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises teaching STEM subjects in regional languages. IIT Madras plans to reach 50,000 government school students by 2026 with STEM education in regional languages. IIT Bombay has started a programme to train rural girls in STEM. IIT Kanpur provides STEM education in Hindi through its Online Rural Education Initiative (OREI). “India has more women enrolled in STEM than some developed countries with 43 percent female graduates at the tertiary level. Indian women are also better represented in paper publications as compared to their global counterparts. However, while 52 percent of women enroll for STEM courses for graduation, only 29 percent actually join the STEM workforce. Even at the C-suite level only three percent of women hold CEO posts in the STEM industry. It is, therefore, important to break gender bias and facilitate a conducive and enabling environment not just at the school level and college level, but also from research level to job levels,” said Prof Raghunath Tewari from the Computer Science Engineering Department, IIT Kanpur. He emphasised that women must be supported with facilities at the workplace and flexibility so they can break out of their assigned stereotypical gender roles and contribute at par with men. Prof Tewari also informed that it is important to “start promoting interest in science and technology amongst girl students in the early education years” and ensure easy access to science and technology information and knowledge sharing.

In a report, MIT highlighted that the gender gap in STEM can be traced back to long-standing stereotypes and perceptions. Even in the 21st century, many still view STEM fields through a lens associated with masculine qualities, which can discourage girls and women from pursuing STEM education and careers. Also, the lack of visible role models, particularly in leadership roles within STEM, further exacerbates this issue.

Vaibhav Gupta, Co-founder and CMO, iSchoolConnect, straightforwardly mentioned the significant issue of gender inequality in STEM, affecting employment, representation, and academic contributions to society. “If we are to harness the optimum opportunity to solve complex global problems, it may be harmful not to have women fully included in STEM. When women realise their potential and attain their dreams in STEM, they are not only a source of development for the economy, but also an example for young females so they do not limit themselves, and unlearn what they have been taught,” he said. Gupta also lauds the IITs for their various initiatives to ensure more women participation in STEM courses.

The Global Gender Gap Report (2023) reveals that women constitute only 29.2% of the STEM workforce across 146 countries, despite comprising nearly half of the total employment in non-STEM fields. Despite this disparity, Alison Barrett, the British Council’s Director for India, mentioned last year that Indian students are increasingly opting for STEM courses over traditionally favoured business courses in the UK. And rightly so. STEM careers are known for its job growth and demand, crucially contributing to addressing global challenges like healthcare, environmental sustainability, and energy efficiency.

“Indian educational institutions are taking proactive steps to promote gender equality in STEM. Efforts include implementing scholarships and mentorship programs specifically for female students, creating awareness campaigns that highlight successful women in STEM, and introducing policies that ensure equal opportunities for all genders. Both CBSE and ICSE schools are actively promoting gender equality in STEM education by encouraging girls to participate in STEM activities, organising workshops and competitions, and providing platforms for female students to showcase their talents,” said Anurag Gupta, Co-founder of Stemrobo Technologies.

Study also shows that STEM occupations are expected to grow by nearly 11% by 2031, which is more than twice the growth rate projected for all occupations combined. Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, said that the rapid expansion of technology has led to an increase in demand for STEM courses, especially in the finance domain. He further emphasised that STEM education drives economic growth and business innovation in fintech by producing skilled professionals adept at developing advanced financial technologies. “Improved STEM education equips the workforce with critical thinking and technical skills necessary for innovation, leading to the creation of new fintech products and services, attracting investment, and generating high-paying jobs, thus boosting the economy. In this scenario, STEM education has great scope in contributing to economic growth and business innovation. Institutions like the IITs and IIMs are making concerted efforts to address gender gaps, thereby enhancing educational environments for everyone and improving the overall quality of education. This progress is a clear step towards a more inclusive and equitable society,” he said.