Unseen Barrier: Less than 40% of UPSC CSE Candidates were Women Over In Years

Over a decade of UPSC annual reports, from 2010 to 2021, reveal how few women and transgender individuals have appeared for the Civil Services Examination compared to their counterparts. The latest annual report on the Commission’s website is for 2021.

Insights from Official Reports

According to the 2021 UPSC annual report, only 32.98 per cent of candidates appearing for the CSE Prelims examination were women. Of these, just 14.75 per cent qualified in the preliminary round.

In the second and final stages of the CSE, the mains and interview, only 26.87 per cent (408) of the candidates were women. In the final list for 2021, only 15.66 per cent, or 201 women, cleared the exam.

On the other hand, in the same year, 19 transgender candidates applied to sit for the UPSC exam, but just four appeared, and none made it to the final list.

While the above represents just one exam cycle, a more comprehensive view emerges when we analyse UPSC CSE annual report data across 2010 to 2021.

The data indicate a consistent upward trajectory in the proportion of women appearing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. However, despite this progress, the overall trajectory has remained below the 40 per cent mark, underscoring the persistent gender gap in participation. This rise, especially pronounced in the latter half of the decade, reflects a growing interest among women in civil services.

The Roadblocks to Representation

This disparity stems from a complex web of social and structural barriers like entrenched gender roles, limited access to coaching and financial support, safety concerns, and mobility restrictions that hinder relocation for preparation, among other reasons.

Gender shapes opportunities before marriage 

Anshika Moyal, who hails from Ganganagar in Rajasthan, relocated to Delhi to pursue her graduation at the University of Delhi. She told indianexpress.com that while her parents and grandparents supported her decision to prepare for the UPSC and move out, some extended family members were apprehensive. “Most of my brothers have relocated for education, but my cousin sisters are pursuing their graduation in Rajasthan itself. It is not bad, but it reflects how gender often shapes the opportunities we are encouraged to pursue,” she said. Moyal added that she is the only girl in her family to move out of the state for higher education.

“For Diwali, when I went home, my relatives asked about my UPSC preparation—not out of curiosity, but with veiled scepticism. They reminded me that I have only one or two attempts left, since by 26 or 27, I am expected to ‘settle down’. I feel the marriage pressure not from my parents, but from relatives and society. It affects my mental health and, in turn, my preparation, because it haunts me that if I don’t make it to the list, I will be married off,” Moyal said.

The 24-year-old has appeared for the UPSC CSE once and also sat for the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) exam. “My sister-in-law is a deputy commissioner, and I have observed the respect she gets in our family. She inspired me to appear for the exam,” said Moyal.

Another UPSC candidate, Ayushi, working with the Uttarakhand government, said that her parents were proud when she decided to apply for CSE. “After repeated failures, maintaining emotional balance becomes difficult. During my preparation, my grandmother felt I should get married as I was ‘doing nothing’, but my mother firmly supported my decision. It made me wonder — does society still believe that marriage is the only goal for a girl?” she added.

Ira Singhal, a 2015 batch IAS officer who is currently posted as a deputy secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, said, “At the age of 22, if a woman sits to appear for the exam and devotes four years, the risk is very high. Most families are not willing to take that risk for such a short opportunity window. That is the problem.” She added that in Indian society, the life of a girl is completely dependent on the marriage market.

Unequal Investment in Coaching: Sons Receive More Support Than Daughters

Despite growing awareness of gender equality, many families still prioritise sons for educational investment, limiting opportunities for daughters.

Ayushi told us that her parents, with limited means, spent their savings on her education. Burdened by EMIs and unwilling to add to her family’s debt, she opted for self-study and bought study materials from Delhi coaching institutes instead of relocating. High costs of coaching and living made moving unaffordable, highlighting how financial constraints continue to hinder women’s access to equal educational support.

“As a female candidate, there were expectations to succeed early, which added mental pressure. I have seen many discontinue their preparation midway due to family obligations related to marriage,” she said.

With limited finances, many families tend to prioritise a son’s coaching over a daughter’s, viewing her education as an added burden alongside future marriage expenses. However, Sriram Srirangam, founder of SriRam’s IAS, notes that family expectations for both genders are gradually becoming more realistic. Thanks to educational loans, flexible EMIs, government sponsorships, and coaching institute scholarships, financial challenges are now somewhat eased for aspiring candidates

The Hidden Strain of Marriage on Women

Cracking UPSC or state PSC exams after marriage often hinges on family support, said Moyal. She shared how her relative, a mother preparing for RPSC, begins her day with cooking, cleaning, and childcare before heading to the library for just 3-4 hours of study.

Her story reflects the invisible labour many women shoulder—balancing ambition with domestic responsibilities.

Moyal added that her friend received strong encouragement from her husband to continue preparation after marriage, but had to discontinue after pregnancy. These examples highlight how caregiving roles can disrupt academic aspirations.

Importantly, the burden does not end with success. A 2004 P C Hota government report acknowledged that women officers face disproportionate domestic responsibilities while managing professional duties. The journey for women in competitive exams is often shaped not just by personal determination, but by the support systems around them—and the persistent challenge of balancing career goals with caregiving expectations.

Learning & Education within Boundaries

For many women, the path to education and career is shaped early by societal expectations. They are often told that their future lies in balancing a 9-to-5 job with domestic responsibilities—a narrative that holds value across both government and private sectors. When parents reinforce this mindset and young girls witness it mirrored in their surroundings, it becomes internalised.

“Teachers are seen as ideal for marriage because their routine fits domestic expectations—managing home, child, and work without disrupting the husband’s life. That is why, after being a housewife, a teacher becomes the easiest job to marry off. Teachers don’t get transferred, so it’s basically what is convenient in the marriage market. Even when families want daughters to be independent, it is often limited to teaching, as it aligns with marital convenience,” Singhal said.

Social conditioning often leads women to accept limitations as normal, curbing their aspirations. How education is framed at home and in society plays a key role in either reinforcing or challenging these gendered norms.

“From birth, families—especially in rural areas—worry more about marrying off daughters than supporting their ambitions,” Singhal said. Even if a woman clears the exam and joins the services, it is seen as a burden, as her marriage prospects narrow. “Men rarely want to marry women in power. Often, her only option is another officer,” she added.

Barriers Beyond Identity: Trans Experience in UPSC

In 2016, following court directives, UPSC added a ‘third gender’ option to its forms, recognising transgender individuals. However, participation remains low. In 2021, only four trans candidates appeared for the prelims; in 2020, 16 applied, but just five sat for the exam. In 2018 and 2019, only one transgender candidate applied and appeared each year.

A consistent trend across these years is that none progressed to the main, interview, or final list. Overall, the participation rate of transgender aspirants has remained below 20, highlighting the persistent barriers to entry and advancement for this marginalised group within one of India’s most competitive examinations.

The first government officer from the trans candidate was Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan, who is now working in Odisha Financial Services. But with legal rights, what is stopping transgender progress in competitive exams?

To understand the complexity of issues, we spoke to Professor Rajeev, who is the head of the Department of Adult, Continuing Education and Extension at the University of Delhi. The department has introduced Transgender Resource Centre (TRC), which serves third gender individuals by skills training, partnership building, counselling, and guidance.

The low representation of transgender candidates in UPSC stems from systemic exclusion in education, says the expert. From school to college, transgender individuals face discrimination and lack support, leading to high dropout rates. Even in higher education, challenges like updating identity documents, limited hostel access, and the absence of inclusive policies restrict their path to competitive exams.

When asked whether transgender aspirants are a common sight in coaching classes, Srirangam said that one may come across two or three, but they often try to remain unnoticed due to societal reasons. “But the inclusive culture that is dawning, thanks to the Supreme Court ruling in NALSA vs Union of India (2014) and the subsequent enactment of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the 2020 Rules, there is relative normalcy,” he added.

Singhal said that the number of people who have declared themselves as transgender and have obtained medical certificates is very low. “Secondly, being a trans person in India is still not accepted. There is so much trauma at play. If the family of the transgender person accepts them fully, then they can still handle the social trauma a bit, but in the majority of cases, the family does not accept,” she said, adding that she is proud of those 19 candidates’ families who accepted their children to the extent that they even thought of applying for the exam.

Signs of change 

The analysis of Civil Services Examination (CSE) data from 2010 to 2021 reveals a tale of two vastly different participation narratives: a significant stride toward gender parity, contrasted with the near invisibility of the transgender community.

The most striking trend is the rise of women candidates. The combined percentage of women appearing in the Prelims and Mains examinations jumped by almost 10 percentage points, from 23.40 per cent in 2010 to 32.98 per cent in 2021. This upward trajectory has been sustained, with female participation crossing the 30 per cent threshold starting in 2019 and holding since.

In sharp contrast, the participation of transgender candidates remains critically low. Across the years where data was explicitly noted (2018 to 2021), the number of transgender candidates who appeared in the Prelims exam was negligible.

This finding underscores that while the CSE has become significantly more accessible and appealing to women, deep-seated barriers to entry and advancement still marginalise the transgender community.