STEM Inequality in India

India has one of the largest young workforces in the world, yet the size of the population with knowledge and skills in STEM fields remains low. In addition to this, not many women choose the path of STEM education or built a career around it. There are numerous reasons for this, including deep-rooted stereotypes, social biases, infrastructure policies and low-powered incentives etc.

While in school, girls and boys take math and science courses in roughly equal numbers. In fact, girls outperforming boys academically has been a general observation in many schools. About as many girls as boys leave high school prepared to pursue science and engineering majors in college. Yet fewer women than men pursue these majors. Research has shown that negative stereotypes about girls’ abilities in math can indeed measurably lower girls’ test performance.
These stereotypes include:

• Women pursuing STEM careers seen as a threat to the traditional picture of caring women and men working hard jobs to provide for their families.
• Women are sometimes considered to be less feminine if they pursue their STEM interests.
• The general image that boys and girls are innately different is a difficult one. It develops into the stereotype that girls are less suitable for STEM and more talented at humanities, arts and caring professions, while boys are talented at STEM, but usually do not pursue humanities. Majority of students from kindergarten to high school perceive a scientist as a male person

While there can be many reasons why there are so few women in the field, a report published by Stanford University suggests that negative stereotypes affect women in academic settings to the point that they start doubting their own ability in comparison to men. Other prominent reasons include:

• Underrepresentation of Women in STEM
• Gender Pay Gap
• Revoked rights for women during economic downturns

A big aspect of increasing gender diversity in STEM is to acknowledge, and raise awareness of unconscious bias. But the need for more women in science goes beyond issues fairness and ethics:

• 1. Scientific research is more accurate when gender is considered: Whether you’re studying seat belt design or heart medication, your research should consider gender and include both male and female subjects. Why? “Women are not scaled down men.” For products to be safe and effective, they need to be tested on women as well as men. Failing to consider sex and gender in the research itself is also limiting the benefits of today’s science.
• 2. Women bring unique perspectives to research and scientific conversation: Diverse research teams are more likely to come up with new ideas and perspectives, says a report in the Harvard Business Review. “Diversity adds to the collective intelligence of a research group,” enhancing creativity and providing new contexts to understand societal aspects of the research.
• 3.To increase the size of population with STEM skills: Men significantly outnumber women in the STEM workforce, and in some of these fields, professionals are in short supply. Meanwhile, universities say they’re having hard time retaining women in STEM at the highest levels.

Closing the STEM gap: In order to boost the representation of women in STEM, it is vital to

• Provide role models. Girls and young women have a hard time picturing themselves in STEM roles. Seeing women who work in STEM and technology helps remind girls they have a place in these fields if they want it.
• Generate excitement. Girls want to be creative and have a positive impact on the world. Many don’t realize that STEM and computer science careers can give them exactly the opportunities they’re looking for!
• Provide hands-on experience. Girls who participate in STEM clubs and activities outside of school are more likely to say they will pursue STEM subjects later in their education. In addition to increasing access to STEM and CS clubs, we can bring the experiential learning that girls want into more classrooms.
• Government and institutions should monitor gender gaps closely and highlight differences in the experiences of women and men working in STEM careers such as relative pay, working conditions, access to research funds, etc.
• Provide encouragement. Girls who feel supported by teachers and parents show more interest in continuing with STEM and CS learning in their future.
• Encourage a “growth mindset.” Girls are willing to work hard to succeed. So we need to create environments where questions, discovery and even failure are treated as positive parts of the learning process. When girls are engaged and supported, they’re excited about the possibilities STEM and CS offer.

Women’s educational progress should be celebrated and if we can successfully increase women’s participation in the STEM, this will help create diverse, happy and thus more productive workplaces.

“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” -- Mae Jemison, first African American woman astronaut in space.