This PPT intends to explore the beauty of women in STEM and their contribution to enrich scientific domain.

1. Education is the manifestation of perfection
already in man” Swamiji
TOPIC:
WOMEN IN STEM EDUCATION IN INDIA:
RETROSPECT & PROSPECTS
By
Dr.Nandadulal Sannigrahi,
Associate Professor in Botany &
IQAC-NAAC Coordinator
Nistarini College,Purulia
(NAAC Accredited A Grade)
D.B.Road,Purulia
nandadulal2002prl@ gmail.com

2. “For we women are not only the deities of the household fire,
but the flame of the soul itself.”(Tagore)
Ghare Baire

3. WOMEN-NOURISH THE DREAM TO BE THE HALF
OF THE SKY
Century of Philosophy experienced the major issues-
 Rational thinking,
 Freedom from religion
 Abolition of Slavery,
 Equal rights to women----as a part of the Age of Enlightenment during the
Seventeenth century
18th- 19th Century
 Right to Franchise irrespective to Gender followed by
 Rights to equal employment,
 Right to Education for Women workforce
Despite, there was a poor influx of Women not India but throughout the
world reflected by
 2.94% Nobel laureates in the field of Science & Technology (ST),
 1.66% in Field’s medal offered in the research in Mathematics---an equity
as an outcomes of social prejudices and stereotypes mind set like Women
being intellectual weaker section.
Harsh but Painstaking reality but wants to be half of the sky

4. INDIAN WOMEN
• Although , the draconian concept of assuming women as the intellectual
inferior class was deeply fostered throughout the seven continents, the
Indian history is the saga of the proud privilege and honor of the women
since the time immemorial of civilization
• Vedic Period ( 2000-1000 BC), Women used to enjoy prestigious status in
science & Education
• Gargi Vachaknavi - Epitome of knowledge and wisdom in the era of Rig
Veda for his metaphysical and philosophical thoughts; advocated the
‘Essence of self’ –physical body is formed by the combination of animate
and inanimate substances filled with ‘false identification’; honored as one
of the ‘Navaratnas’ in the court of king Janaka of Mithila
• Lilavati –Daughter(?) of mathematician Bhaskaracharya; faced an ocean of
struggle but famous for her appetite in mathematics reflected in Lilavati’s
swarm.
• Maître-Advocated Advita Philosophy and female expounder of Veda
• Khona-A n elegant father-daughter pair that made ripples in the world of
science & mathematics with beauty in astronomy.
• Arundhati -Wife of the sage Vashistha and advocated.

5. INDIAN WOMEN
• 1000-600 B.C, Women suppression started and was continued during the
Mughal era as well as British rule despite the saga of Padmni, Mirabai,
Nurjahan and many more epitomes of beauty and religious spectacles.
• Aristotle advocated the inferiority of women and Hypatia, the first female
mathematician and astronomer of Alexandria of Egypt have been
documented as oasis in the vast desert of intellectual soil.
• Battle for equal voting rights, with suffragettes such as Susan B. Anthony,
Isabella Baum free, Mar McLeod Bethune, Daisy Elizabeth, Adams
Limpkin, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Amelia Boomer,
Francis Ellen Watkins Harper and many more.
• The 19th century of India has been decorated with the vibrant presence3 of
Chandramukhi Basu, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, Kadambini Ganguly,
Anandi Gopal Joshi, Mary Poonen Lukose, Rupa Bai Furdoonji, Lilavati
Singh, Yogin Ma and many more ----

6. PRESENT STATUS
• According to 2018 UNESCO report, 44% of Bachelor students and 41% of
doctoral students are female in India,
• Women suffer from “ double burden syndrome”-the patriarchal society
have the proud privilege (!) about women feelings about the responsibility
both the family and household duties,
• Women in STEM, 81% women perceive gender bias in performance and
evaluations,
• While women are enrolling in university, relatively few pursue careers in
research,
• The ideal function of 50% of female students has not been achieved,
• There is a drastic drop in percentage of women from 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

7. PRESENT SCENERIO
• IIT’s are considered as the temples of STEM study but it reflects the wide
gender in equality with the below input of women as faculty members.
• The first group of seven IITs established in between 195102001 having only
10,74% women faculty in S& T,
• Eight IITs established in between 2008-09 having only 11.6% women faculty,
• Third set of eight IITs established in between 2012-16 with only 11.33%
women faculty.
• Ironically from 1951-2020, the dearth of qualified women candidates almost
remain the same despite the revolution in the field of STEM in general and
communication network in particular.
• But the significant increases of the average number of women faculty in top 20
universities was 27.11% (+11.12) and this can be explained by the fact that
these universities handling teaching & research mainly to basic sciences than
the technological domains.
• IISc , Bangalore was the mostly male-dominated with only 8.6% female faculty
• Savitribai Phule University , Pune stood out with most balanced gender
distribution with 40.53% female along with Amrita Viswavidyapitham of
45.8% female faculty members.

8. PRESENT SCENERIO
• NITs showed an average of 17.75% (+5.65) women faculty with NIT
Uttrakhand having the unpleasant 6.67% women faculty and NIT Manipur
having the highest percentage , 29.41% of women faculty.
• CSIR have the pleasure of 4600 active scientists of which only 18.48%
(+7.62) were women.
• The scenario of IISERs throughout India is not showing any significant
observation. The women faculty was 15.47% (+ 6.50) and male was
84.52%.
• Another world class research institutes are National Centre of Biological
Sciences (NCBS) with women scientists were only 23.12% ( +9.74),
Institute of Life sciences (ILS) and Indian Institute of Chemical Biology
(IICB) having the same type data repository as far as women scientists are
concerned.
• As far as world scenario is concerned of top ten ranked institutes, average
women participation was 20.34% (+3.45) which is little bit better than
Indian perspective (18.86%).
• In our college , the total input of Women faculty is 20% (app.)which is at
per with the national level. Girls students in science is only 7% (2022-23)

9. ENROLMENT OF WOMEN IN STEM
• Data from All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report 2018-19
shows that women account for over 43% of the total enrollments for STEM
undergraduate courses in the country. But this number decreases for higher
qualifications, with a mere 3% enrolling for Ph.D. in the sciences.
Additionally, women occupy a measly 14% of the workforce in scientific
research institutions across the country. The under-representation of women
in the scientific community has put them at the risk of loss of jobs with the
advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation in the industry.
Data from the US shows that just 1 in 20 women are made deans and
department heads of scientific departments in academia which would
suggest that the number in India is comparable or worse off. This would
further discourage future generations of women from taking up the sciences
as their primary subject of study. With exponential scientific advancements
in the 21st century, the field of STEM is the future. While India has laid the
foundation for ensuring the large participation of women in the field of
STEM, there is a lot of work to be done to keep the talented ones in the
field. This must not only be the responsibility of the government, but also
of academic institutions, and society as a whole.

10. ENROLMENT OF MALE VS FEMALE IN INDIA
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
3000000
UG PG Ph.D
Male
Female

11. WOMEN IN STEM IN WORLD AND INDIA
 The minimal number of women candidates pursuing career in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics( STEM) can be explained by model-
‘ Leaky Pipeline effect’ where leaking happens at different levels of
education platform starting from Primary school, secondary school,
undergraduate, postgraduate, doctorate, post-doctoral level and also in the
faculty positions -21.88%
 This has been supported by the different facts of AIHSE report and other
agencies over the last five years.
 In USA, STEM related jobs shared by women is 22% (1993) to n25% in 2010.
 This can be explained by the loss of continuous loss of female workforce
which is detrimental as far as dream of the half of the sky of the women
empowerment.
 Every darkness welcomes a new beam of light. Renowned women scientists
not only credited for their ground breaking experiments including a dozen of
women Nobel laureates along with stars like Agnes Pockels. Nettie Stevens,
Rosalind Franklin( Dark lady of DNA), Jocelyn Bell, Lisa Meitner, Maria
Ressa (2021),

12. WOMEN IN STEM IN WORLD AND INDIA
 Nadia Murad (2018), Donna Strickland (2018), Francis Arnold (2018), Tu
Youyou (2015), May-Britt Moser (2015),Ada Younath ( 2009) , Linda Buck
(2004), Rita Levi (1986), Barbara Meclintock (1983), Rosalyn Yalow
(1977) and also Marie Curie (1903), Juliot –Curie (1935) , Gerty Cori (
19470 and many more.
 Indian subcontinent is also contributing a lot by the women scientists like
Rupa Bai Furdoonji, Mary Poonen Lukose, Anandibhai Gopalrao Joshi,
Janaki Ammal, Kamala Sohonie, Asima Chatterjee, Rajeshwari Chatterjee,
Soumyo Swaminathan, Debala Mitra and many more.
 In spite of hardships and obstacles, the scenario is changing world wide as
130% increase in the enrolment of girls students was observed in the male
dominated subjects like Physics, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics,
Statistics, Computer sciences in the last decades.
 As per AIHSE report, more than 43% students have undertaken STEM as a
part of their higher education in India which is a ray of hope for Indian
women in the3 field of enlightenment and it more than USA, Germany and
other developed countries of the world.

13. % OF FACULTY (M/F)IN IIT, UNIVERSITIES

14. % OF FACULTY (M/F) INSTITUTES OF EMINENCE

15. CONCERNS/CHALLENGES
 When the highly qualified women drop out of workforce, it usually causes
the considerable depletion of natural resources in Science & technology,
 Stereotypes encountered by girls to the family caring responsibilities,
 Patriarchal society and mind set to consider the women as the second class
citizen despite they contribute the half of the workforce,
 Women face bias when they chose a career,
 Women continue to face the same kind of discrimination at work as they
face in society,
 According to the recent Accenture report, the gender gap in India is as high
as 67%,
 Burdened with the expectations of marriage & family,
 Authorities of the higher Institutes perhaps inclined to believe that women
are fragile and may not handle the workload at the cost of their family
burden,
 Infrastructure do not promote the cut-throat competition of research &
publication pressure on behalf of women.

16. CONCERNS/CHALLENGES

17. WAY FORWARD
 India now have the pleasure of the World’s youngest population and the
half of the sky can now discharge the definitive role in devising country’s
future,
 A multi-pronged approach to create the ecosystem of education , 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,
 To make a awareness about gender inequality and its outcome has to be
increased,
 The community should be supportive and have the ple3asure of empathy of
the career prospects of women,
 Highest time to change the mindsets and overcoming biases,
 Companies both private and public sector must come forward to provide
more opportunities for women by giving internships and STEM
scholarships to meritorious along with the backward girls,
 Initiation of the well-planned role model programme with the ambassador
of science instead of only the beauty ,

18. WAY FORWARD
 To offer special fellowships for girls securing the top positions in the higher
educational institutes,
 To regenerate those women who have been forced to suffer from the mid-
career breaks due to different socio-economic pressure,
 The pay-gap must be over ruled,
 Government agencies, universities and the society must break together to
ensure that the women should achieve their full potential,
 A ray of home by extending the different initiatives to promote STEM
enrolment like Vigyan Jyoti Schemer, Inspire-MANAK ( Million Minds
Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge),UBAP ( Unnat Bharat
Abhiyan Programme), Indo-US fellowship for women in science,
technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine to participate in
international collaborative research promotion, KIRAN ( Knowledge
Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), Bio-Care
scheme( Biotechnology Career Advancement) etc,
• “Woods are lovely , dark and deep--------miles to go”

19. STARS OF STEM IN INDIA

20. CONCLUSION
 Since time of Lilabati to till date, the science education and women is the saga
of the empowerment of women with a mixed feelings of hope and despair.
 General improvement in social & financial fronts especially developing
countries like India is paramount for further inclusion of women in mainstream
education which can be desired to slow down further in STEM.
 Women role models from STEM in the electronic, print & social media might
have strong positive impact for this attributes.
 Scholarships, comfortable work place, flexible working hours along with the
extension of day care facilities in all higher STEM institutes is the call of the
time.
 Long lasting problems needs more discussion and debate at the national and
policy making level that can sensitize the forthcoming generation to extend
love towards the magic of the reality of life.
 Last but not least, a positive mind set for the upliftment of women to make the
avenue to be the half of the sky in the 21st century and this might be goal for
2047, the auspicious year of the India’s independence centenary celebration.
THANKS TO LISTEN ME

21. LET THE FLAME OF WOMEN TO BE IGNITED TO BE
THE HALF OF THE SKY---

22. REFERENCES
• 1. Current Science, Vol.119, No. 5, 10 September 2020
• 2.Research on Humanities and social sciences, ISSN 2224-
5766, Vol 8, No.13,2018.
• AIHSE Report 2020-21
• http://www.novapdf.com
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/271335/literacy-rate-in-
india
• Bhat R.A. (2015). Role of education in the empowerment of
women in India. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(10), 188-
191.
• Insights Mind maps
• Images from Google
• Others