As Kaifi Azmi said “उठ मेरी जान! मेरे साथ ही चलना है तुझे, क़द्र अब तक तेरी तारीख़ ने जानी ही नहीं, अपनी तारीख़ का उनवान बदलना है तुझे…उठ मेरी जान! ”

In India, women in STEM fields have had to overcome countless hurdles to pursue and advance their careers. Nevertheless, they have been able to make great strides in the field and are actively working towards creating a more equitable environment. Their efforts are helping to break down gender barriers and further the cause for better women’s representation in STEM disciplines.

“The enrolment of young girls in STEM undergraduate courses is increasing year-on-year. With positive industry support and an enabling social environment, India can become a leader in women representation in STEM and build a future where gender equality is the norm.” 

India is making great strides in empowering women to pursue careers in STEM fields, with an increasing number of women enrolling in degree programs and entering these industries. A recent report by India’s Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation showed that the percentage of women in the total STEM workforce is 14.1%, and this figure is expected to rise in the coming years. As per the World Bank report the overall participation of women in the labor force needs to be looked into because of ecosystem challenges, the country is taking steps to reverse this trend and increased participation of women in workforce.

This is due to cultural expectations, gender-based discrimination, lack of women role models, and societal conditioning. It is critical to address these issues to increase gender diversity in India’s STEM workforce and navigate remote work transitions. This requires changing societal expectations from men and women, starting at a young age.

Anuranjita Kumar, Co-Founder & CEO of WeAce- a professional and personal development platform for women professionals, shares, “Women participation in STEM can be traced back to the early 20^th century when women led cryptography teams during the World War. Their participations subsequently reduced due to societal biases and large-scale participation of men in this field owing to lucrative salaries.

If you see, many tech designs- be it in electronics or automobiles, are sub-consciously designed keeping men as the target audience. This needs to change. Thankfully, industry leaders and the government have realized the need to increase women participation in STEM, and government schemes like GATI and KIRAN are a positive step in that direction.”

Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) has a chapter dedicated to promoting the equal representation of women in STEM fields. They work closely with Knowledge Involvement Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) to achieve this goal.

The Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) has formulated SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research) to provide support and financial assistance to female researchers interested in pursuing R&D activities.

Presently in the job market in India 2023, the Tech Domain Remains The Biggest Employer Of Female Talent. 38% Of Female Employees Are At Entry-Level, While 26%, 19%, And 17% Occupy Managerial, Senior Managerial, And Executive Positions Respectively.

“Companies are hiring women talent with particular skills like forensics, cybersecurity, cloud computing, DevOps, and blockchain.”

This is an era of great potential as we transition into the digital age, and it is essential that every girl gains access to early STEM education, beneficial STEM employment opportunities, and leadership roles. With these opportunities in place, they can make the most out of this digital revolution.

Join women-led networks and communities, and seek help from senior women professionals to understand how you can better navigate your professional journey. SHEROES, a social network for women, has evolved to become a premium ecosystem for women’s growth — a supportive, understanding environment where ladies can invest in their overall wellbeing and professional development. They have created an impressive remote team of qualified, trained and certified female personnel who provide various business solutions. This is a readily available cloud workforce for professionals.

This will help lay a solid foundation of knowledge and expertise that will provide an advantage as you embark on a career in STEM.

Pankaj Bansal is the Co- founder of Taggd and Work Universe (a Fund investing in jobs and work tech). He is a non-executive director at Karmayogi Bharat (Capacity building or Civil Servants) and many other startups. Follow him on Twitter at @pankajbansalPB.