More women in STEM but not enough

Kalpana Chawla is a familiar name in Indian households. She was the first Indian-origin woman to go to space. But not many have heard of her difficulties when she joined an engineering college in Punjab.

Kalpana was the only female student who took up aeronautical engineering, considered a male-dominated area at the time. The situation is not much better now. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (2019 - 2020), there are 10 crore women who have opted for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Compared to the 12 crore men in STEM, this number is still low.

On this, Dr Susan Mary Philip, assistant professor at the Department of Biotechnology of St Joseph’s College says, “I suppose it is fair to say that there are more women in STEM now, compared to the last century, but there is undoubtedly a long way to go before the gender gap is truly bridged.”

She points out the percentage of women Nobel laureates, which is still at a measly six per cent. When it comes to senior leadership roles in scientific institutions and academia women are a definite minority. The lack of women role models is a drawback in these fields. “Most textbooks and curricular material rarely portray women in science,” she said.

In India, the responsibility of ‘managing a family’ rests squarely on the woman’s shoulder. Like in any other field, girl students who graduate at the top of their classes in STEM subjects, or who have career aspirations in STEM fields are often hindered by parents expecting them to marry and ‘settle down’.

While there has been definite progress in encouraging girls to take up STEM subjects, this has borne fruit largely in metros and Tier 2 cities. Girls in rural areas continue to have lesser opportunities for STEM education than their peers in larger towns and cities.

Changing scenario

But not all stories are the same, there are women in the field who were encouraged to pursue a career in STEM. Pradeepika Chintha, a scientist at Agriculture Research Service said, “we can see the change in the field.”

“I have never faced any obstacles in my life about education and my career selection as Agriculture Research Scientist. My parents were supportive, they even did not hesitate to send me to the US to pursue my PhD,” she said.

The best way to drive more women into STEM fields is through awareness programmes and by increasing the number of fellowships and scholarships to encourage women, particularly those from rural backgrounds.

“I have had good opportunities to pursue my higher education under the Netaji Subhas- ICAR International Fellowship programme provided by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research),” she added.

To encourage girls to come to the STEM field researchers also suggest that higher education institutions provide career guidance, relevant information and other relevant opportunities so women feel motivated to pursue meaningful STEM careers.