Science, technology, engineering, and medicine –together known as ‘STEM’ fields –suffer from lack of women, especially in India. In school exam results, we hear of how girls have outshone boys, but when it comes to those who take up research in later life, the number of women is minuscule. This means that many of our best brains that showed the maximum potential do not pick research as a career.

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Current situation:

• According to a UNESCO report, as of 2015, only 28.8% of STEM researchers globally, and 13.9% in India were women.
• Only 29% of female students in India are enrolled in a BTech course, as per the All India Higher Education Survey (AISHE) 2017-18.
• The same report found that only 6% of the women enrolled in these courses opt for a PhD.
• While more women are enrolling in university, relatively few pursue careers in research.
• The ideal fraction of 50% of female students has not been achieved.
• There is a drastic drop in the percentage of women from the doctoral level to the scientist/faculty position.
• There is a “major paucity” of women at the senior-most administrative and policy making positions in scientific institutions.

Cultural stereotypes:

• Stereotypes encountered by girls to the family-caring responsibilities.
• Reasons like marriage and maternity often cut short their educational pursuit.
• Patriarchal society.
• Women face bias when choosing a career.
• Women face “double burden syndrome” -a culture where both men and women feel the family and household duties are primarily the woman’s responsibility.
• Women continue to face the same kind of discrimination at work as they face in society.
• According to a recent Accenture research report, the gender pay gap in India is as high as 67 percent.
• Gender disparity is the highest in fields like Computer Science or Physics while it is least in the life sciences and medicine.
• When highly qualified women drop out of the workforce, it results in considerable depletion of national resources in science and technology.

Measures needed:

• India will have the world’s youngest population by 2022 and the women of the country will play a definitive role in devising the country’s future.
• It takes a multi-pronged approach to create meaningful, lasting changes in the retention of women in STEM fields.
• Women’s participation in STEM should be encouraged from primary school level rather only in higher studies.
• Awareness about gender inequality and its outcome has to be increased.
• For e.g.: The Lancet group of journals announced a Diversity Pledge and a new ‘No All-Male Panel’—or ‘manel’—policy.
• The move aims to increase the representation of women, people of colour, and colleagues from the Global South among the journal group’s editorial boards/advisors, peer reviewers, and authors
• The community should be supportive and understanding of career prospects for women.
• Changing mindsets and overcoming biases.
• Companies can provide more internship opportunities for women and give STEM scholarships to meritorious yet economically backward girls.
• Initiating a well-planned role model programme with successful women scientists.
• Special fellowships for girl students securing top positions in university exams.
• Reintegrate women who have taken mid-career breaks.
• Closing the pay gap.
• Government agencies, universities, and society must work together to ensure that women achieve their full potential.

Conclusion:

Not only do efforts need to be made to attract more female talent to the sciences but also workplace policies—on pay, sexual harassment, flexi-schedules for working mothers—need to be modified to encourage retention of female science professionals.