Every year on February 11, the United Nations observes the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, recognising that equal access to and participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are critical for achieving gender equality. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the day, and the theme is ‘Unpacking STEM Careers: Her Voice in Science’.
“On the tenth anniversary of this important day, and as we reflect on 30 years since the Beijing Declaration, let’s help pave a path to STEM careers that women and girls deserve – and our world needs,” remarked UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
While progress has been made in the country and worldwide, women and girls face systemic and cultural barriers that prevent them from thriving in STEM fields. For instance, while India has the highest percentage of women STEM graduates in the world—about 40% in 2021-22, only 14% of STEM jobs in the country are held by women.
An analysis of the STEM “pipeline” reveals that women frequently exit at various critical stages, especially around marriage, childbirth, and when family responsibilities demand more time. Known as the “Leaky Pipeline,” this gradual dropping off of women indicates that “at the end of the pipeline, many of the women get excluded,” often leading to a severe underrepresentation of women researchers and innovators.
“In India, we have quite a high percentage of women up to the PhD level, followed by a huge drop: almost half of science PhD students are women, yet they make up fewer than 20% of working scientists,” says nanoscientist Dr Shobhana Narasimhan, who chairs the Indian Academy of Science’s Women in Science Initiative, in an interview with Benjamin Plackett.
A study by BiasWatchIndia highlighted significant disparities in women's representation across various STEM disciplines. Engineering faculties exhibited the widest gender gap, with women making up only 9.2% of faculty members. In contrast, biology had the highest female representation at 25.5%. Researchers suggest this discrepancy may stem from perceptions of biology as a "softer" science compared to fields like engineering, physics, computer science, and chemistry, where female faculty ranged between 11.5% and 13%. Earth sciences and mathematics showed slightly higher representation, with women comprising 14.4% and 15.8% of faculty, respectively.
Another survey showed that only 11.5% of faculty members in Indian university materials science departments were women. Even in institutions that hired female faculty, the highest representation was just 25%, and some departments had no women. In addition to underrepresentation, Indian women scientists face a significant citation impact gap. According to Elsevier data, the field-weighted citation impact (FWCI) for male materials scientists in India is 10% higher than that for women. In comparison, fields such as agricultural and biological sciences show a much smaller gap (2.66%).
Many factors contribute to the persistence of this gap and the leak. However, the impact of sociocultural factors remains the highest.
Dr Narasimhan points out that “there is a firm belief that women should be wives and mothers first and scientists second,”
This societal pressure discourages many women from devoting themselves entirely to their careers, especially in demanding research environments. Discriminatory hiring practices compound these expectations. At one prestigious research institution, only 3–5% of female applicants were shortlisted for academic positions, compared to 15–20% of male applicants. This stark mismatch limits women's opportunities to join elite research groups and advance the leadership ladder.
The Indian government, for its part, has launched several initiatives like Vigyan Jyoti, Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), GATI, etc. The government also enforced gender budgeting in 2004 with the recommendations of the Ashok Lahiri Committee and the Ministry of Women and Child Development. As per the Government of India's scheme of gender budgeting, CSIR and other scientific institutions need to incorporate women-friendly policies to make STEM a worthwhile career option. However, while successful at enrolling girls, the schemes have fallen short of retaining them at higher education levels, especially once they enter the workforce.
Education is a catalyst for enhancing women's access to employment and empowerment. However, despite the growing number of female graduates, India struggles with the "leaky pipeline" issue, where transitioning from education to long-term careers remains inconsistent. As of 2023, women account for only 27% of India's STEM workforce, with a staggering 81% gender gap in research and development. Additionally, just 19% of scientists in the country are women.
Gender bias, both overt and subtle, continues to influence recruitment, career progression, and performance evaluations in STEM fields. Women also frequently encounter stereotypes that question their capabilities in science and technology, further hindering their advancement. LinkedIn data reveals that while women excel in STEM education, they are predominantly placed in entry-level roles (29%), with their representation dropping sharply to just 14% at leadership levels.
Women also leave academia due to an unsafe workplace, lack of encouragement from peers in the workplace, unequal opportunities and lack of official structures to address sexual misconduct and inappropriate workplace behaviour. While some institutions boast of grievance cells, these often lack the power to make decisions and, in worst cases, are found to be complicit in suppressing news of misconduct ‘for the reputation’ of the institution.
Achieving gender equality in science is not solely women's responsibility. Dr Narasimhan says men and institutions must also be active and committed.
“Some will say, ‘You women should do something about it’. I tell them it’s not up to women and ask why they don’t do something about it, and they look at me in horror.” she adds.
Such a response reveals that addressing the persistent gender gap in STEM is a long, uphill battle that requires everyone to understand their roles and privileges, empathise with those who don't have the same privileges, and fight with those who don't.
Within academia and industry, ensuring transparent, gender-neutral hiring and promotion processes is critical. Institutions must conduct periodic reviews of their hiring data, set clear targets for women’s representation, and arrange training programs to address implicit biases. There's also no central database tracking women's STEM faculty across India, making it harder to gauge the problem of the gender gap. According to Dr Narasimhan, systematic data collection is essential:
“It would be nice if there were detailed studies…I just wish that there were better statistics and more data.,” she adds, stressing the need for evidence-based strategies to improve women’s participation in science.
Mentorship and peer support can propel more women into leadership positions. Building robust support networks within and across institutions helps women navigate the challenges of STEM careers and fosters collaboration and visibility in research.
Beyond institutional changes, nations must work toward shifting societal attitudes that perpetuate the idea that science is a male-dominated field. Educational campaigns starting at the school level, introducing role models, celebrating female scientists’ contributions, and involving families and local communities can help dismantle stereotypes and encourage girls to see themselves as future STEM innovators.
The International Day for Women and Girls in Science reminds the world that half of humanity still faces deeply ingrained obstacles in laboratories, classrooms, and research institutions. The persistent gender gap in STEM, particularly in India, demands cultural transformation, targeted policy measures, and the participation of individuals, institutions, and the government in acting immediately and effectively.