Women’s enrollment in higher education soars but not in STEM courses

Despite a 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%, and by 55.5% in postgraduate courses but enrolment in engineering degrees has fallen 1.35% for undergraduate courses and by 43% for postgraduate courses, government data shows.

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

“The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) shows an increase in student enrollment in science fields,” says Shweta Gaur, Engagement Manager at Sattva Consulting, a global impact and corporate social responsibility consulting firm in India. She highlighted the growing need for skilled manpower in the industry, which has led to greater parental encouragement...

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