Despite steady growth in women's enrollment in higher education in India, a disparity persists between engineering and technology-related courses and other disciplines. 

Between 2013-14 and 2021-22, female enrolment in undergraduate courses has increased by 46 percent, and by 55.5 percent in postgraduate courses. But enrolment in engineering degrees has fallen by 1.35 percent for undergraduate courses and by 43 percent for postgraduate courses, government data shows.

Female enrolment in undergraduate commerce courses has grown 42 percent between 2013-14 and 2021-22, and enrolment in undergraduate arts, humanities and social sciences has grown 15 percent, as per data from the All India Survey of Higher Education in 2013-14 and 2021-22. Though female enrolment grew 23.4 percent in IT and Computer for undergraduate courses, it dropped by 27.4 percent for postgraduate IT courses.

Experts noted the multifaceted nature of market dynamics, which has led to more women enrolling in natural sciences and medicine but not in engineering and in information and technology for post graduate courses.

“The All India Survey on Higher Education shows an increase in student enrollment in science fields,” says Shweta Gaur, engagement manager at Sattva Consulting, a global impact and CSR consulting firm in India. She highlighted the growing need for skilled manpower in the industry, which has led to greater parental encouragement for girls to pursue science, particularly in southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where up to 75 percent of girls pass grade 12 with science. She added that societal aspirations often mirror the career choices of upper-class women, influencing broader acceptance of women in these sectors.

Addressing the question of why women tend to gravitate toward natural sciences or medicine rather than engineering, Devika Oberai, former policy analyst with The Quantum Hub, and co-author of a brief on “Women in STEM: Challenges and Opportunities in India”, explained: “It largely comes down to perceptions. From a young age, societal conditioning dictates what girls can or cannot do, influencing their later choices, such as in grades 11 and 12.”

Union govt initiatives to encourage STEM

Gaur explained that government initiatives, such as gender budgeting introduced in 2019-20, have significantly invested in boosting girls' participation in science to address the shortage of skilled workers. The Atal Innovation Mission has taken substantial steps to extend the reach of Atal Tinkering Labs to rural and underserved areas, with nearly 57 percent of the 10,000 ATLs established in rural areas, according to a government response in the Lok Sabha in November 2024.

The National Education Policy reinforces STEM education by asking that states provide “adequate resources and support systems, including trained teachers, computer labs, and skill labs”, as per a report from Sattva Consulting in April 2024. The report adds that the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan under the Samagra Shiksha aims to nurture inquiry and creativity in science and mathematics through hands-on learning, mentorship by higher education institutions, and activities like teacher circles, children’s clubs, and olympiads.

“In Southern India, particularly in states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, there is a higher uptake of science by girls in schools. Nearly 100 percent of schools offer science in grades 11 and 12, and over 75 percent of girls pass grade 12 with science,” Gaur explained. “This indicates that many girls choose science, with 75 percent successfully completing it.”

Tamil Nadu has established 100 mobile labs and trained 710 STEM facilitators under the Vanavil Mandram scheme for students in grades 6 to 8, noted the Sattva Consulting report. Andhra Pradesh has policies that support STEM education for girls, including school kits, financial aid, smartboards, and admission to Indian Institutes of Information Technology based on grade 10 results, with 70 percent of its higher secondary girls enrolled in STEM programmes, compared to the national average of 32 percent.

In Haryana, the ‘Main Bhi Curie’ programme, a collaboration between SwaTaleem Foundation and the state government, aims to spark interest in STEM among girls in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya schools.

Assam has trained 1,000 teachers at the Indian Institute of Technology at Guwahati to improve STEM teaching methods, while Uttar Pradesh partnered with Khan Academy to enhance math skills for over five lakh students in 48,000 schools. Delhi's Schools of Specialised Excellence focus on high-end skills for students in grades 9 to 12.

STEM education more expensive

A 2020 report by the World Bank on global trends in the participation of women and girls in STEM found that even though tertiary graduation rates are higher among women than men, women are less likely to undertake studies in STEM fields, particularly engineering, computer science and physics.

Experts say STEM education becomes inaccessible to women due to the financial investment it requires. “In situations where resources are scarce, education is prioritised for male children over female children, due to the perceived notion that investing in the male child’s education will yield future returns," as per a Sattva Knowledge Institute report from June 2023.

STEM education involves a practical aspect to its learning, that necessitates access to specialised equipment, laboratory facilities, and advanced technology, the report says. The report also shows that the cost of pursuing STEM subjects in higher secondary schools in urban areas is 139 percent higher than the cost of studying humanities. Similarly, in rural areas, STEM education is 58.5 percent more expensive than humanities.

IndiaSpend reached out to SK Barnwal, additional secretary in the education ministry, regarding the government’s measures to promote women in STEM and the steps being taken to increase women’s participation in engineering and IT. We will update this story when we receive a response.

Women discriminated against in STEM jobs

Women are also less likely to enroll in STEM courses, because of the possible future career trajectory.

Globally, women comprised 29 percent of the STEM workforce in 146 nations evaluated in the Global Gender Gap Report (2023), even though women made up 49 percent, or almost half, of the total employment across non-STEM occupations. Women earn 15-30 percent less than men in STEM, a gap attributed not to skills but to men's greater confidence in negotiating salaries, as noted by a Stanford University study.

The transition from graduation to the workforce in India reveals a troubling trend, with only 29 percent of women who graduate in STEM courses joining the STEM workforce, found the 2023 Sattva report.

Workplaces characterised by rigid working hours, lack of flexibility, and insufficient childcare provisions pose significant barriers for women, exacerbated by gender-blind policies that fail to address their unique needs, as per the IWWAGE policy brief 2024.

As many as 76 percent of women felt that their co-workers believed men had a genetic advantage in science and math, 77 percent felt that there were double standards when it came to training opportunities for women workers, and 81 percent perceived a bias in performance evaluations, as per the Key Global Workforce Insights report of manpower company Kelly Services.

Compounding these challenges is the dual burden of household responsibilities and workplace commitments, which remains a significant obstacle to career advancement, even for middle-class women who have access to domestic staff, as managing household help is also seen as their responsibility according to the IWWAGE policy brief.

Oberai of IWWAGE explains that many workplaces fail to offer essential benefits like maternity leave, childcare facilities, and flexible work hours – critical factors that have been shown to increase women's participation in the workforce. Additionally, she noted that wage disparities, where men are paid more for the same work, further diminish the incentive for women to remain in these fields.

The issue is compounded by a lack of female role models, as fewer women occupy leadership positions, making it difficult for others to envision a path forward. “If you don’t see women at the top, you don’t know how to make it there yourself,” Oberai points out.

Small, everyday barriers contribute to limiting women’s participation, career growth, and trajectory in male-dominated fields, Oberai said. For instance, she said, networks are important for accessing opportunities. “Many job openings aren’t posted on job boards or LinkedIn – they’re shared in specific circles, conferences, or meetings,” Oberai said. “If you're not part of those conversations, you don’t even know about the opportunities.”

IndiaSpend reached out to Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje and Rupesh Kumar Thakur, joint secretary at the women and child labour division, regarding the discrimination that women face in STEM jobs and steps taken by the government to reduce discrimination. We will update the story when we receive a response.

Impact on industry

The labour shortage that the Asia Pacific will face by 2030 is estimated to rise from 12.3 million to 47 million at an annual opportunity cost of $4.238 trillion, as referenced in the UNDP Report 2024.

Sona Mitra, director of Policy and Research at IWWAGE, pointed out that excluding women from these professions undermines economic growth. “We're sidelining 50 percent of the population from contributing to the national economy and the growth process,” she argued, advocating for fair representation. Mitra also stressed the injustice of assuming women can't excel in these professions. “This is not only unfair but also economically unjust,” she noted.

A diverse workforce leads to better decision-making, increased innovation, and improved productivity.

In addition, Oberai explained that the absence of women in policy-making spaces diminishes the likelihood of creating gender-responsive or gender-sensitive policies. “In workplaces focused on innovation, having women involved means that products, like apps, are more likely to address barriers women face,” she said. “For instance, when Bumble was designed, the feature that allows only women to send the first message was a gender-sensitive component aimed at preventing harassment.”

Mitra added, “If we don't have enough women in STEM occupations, we fail to break occupational segregation and stereotypes, which continue to bias against women.”

This report is republished with permission from IndiaSpend, a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit. It has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

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