Why Gender Equality in IITs Remains a Challenge Despite Promising Signs
Despite ongoing efforts to promote gender diversity, the number of girls enrolled in IITs remains significantly lower compared to boys. Preeti Aghalyam, the pioneering woman who made history as the first female director of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), recently addressed the persistent issue of gender imbalance on campuses.
There has been a significant improvement in the gender ratio of engineering colleges since the 1990s. Initially, a substantial enrolment gap existed, with a ratio of 10 men to 1 woman. However, over time, this ratio gradually improved to 7 men to 1 woman in the early 2000s and further progressed to 4 men to 1 woman in the mid and late 2000s. The representation of women in 2014 ranged from 5% to 12%.
Before the introduction of the supernumerary quota for women in 2018, the number of male admissions was 9,883, while the number of female admissions was 995 in the preceding year. However, a significant change occurred for the 2022–23 academic session, with 3,310 women being admitted, accounting for 20% of the total seats.
The improvement in the enrolment of girls is definitely a positive sign. But, there is still a considerable distance to cover in order to achieve parity, according to Ms Aghalyam.
Expanding on the matter, she highlights the undeniable reality that women have been in the minority at IITs. Despite some progress in recent years, the problem continues to persist across all levels, encompassing both student and faculty representation. For instance, at IIT Madras, 12% of the faculty comprises women. This issue transcends campus gender inclusivity and is deeply rooted in the perceptions surrounding technology institutions.
When asked about her appointment and its potential impact on promoting gender inclusivity, Ms Aghalyam acknowledged that during previous trips to Zanzibar with the IIT Madras group, they had noticed a notable presence of women on their team.
Recognising this trend, she emphasised the significance of being mindful of it while endeavouring to achieve gender balance on the new campus. She expressed her unwavering commitment to working towards this goal in the forthcoming years.
