According to the Ministry of Education, for the first time in over a decade, more girls passed Class 12 with science (28.14 lakh) than with arts (27.24 lakh) in 2024.
- It marks a significant shift from the traditional gender trend: science, once perceived as a male-dominated domain, is now being actively embraced by girls across the country.
Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
- Status:
- While more boys than girls still pursue science, the gender gap is narrowing. In 2024, girls accounted for 46% of the total students who passed Class 12 in the science stream.
- Women comprise 52.1% of students in science disciplines (All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22).
- In medicine, female representation is on par with men & their presence is steadily increasing in engineering and technology which are traditionally male-dominated fields.
- Barriers: Social & Cultural Norms (restrictive gender roles), Lack of role models (few visible female leaders in science limits aspirations), workplace inequality (biased work cultures) etc.
- Need for More Women in STEM: Ensuring gender equity & diversity in STEM; bridging gender gap; harness their scientific potential etc.
