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Journalism of Courage
An article that fits as a case study is a story from The Indian Express titled “STEM-ming the gender gap” written by Sakshi Saroha. Sakshi, through this story, talks both about problems and solutions of the gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through data from reports and first-hand experiences from women and young girls.
Relevance
Case studies are an important part of the UPSC civil services exam, especially the ethics paper. But case studies can also be very beneficial for value addition in the essay, GS mains and interview. With a dearth of examples, try to enrich your answers with articles and stories in The Indian Express.
The recent Gender Gap Report by WEF makes this case study more useful. This particular case study is relevant for Essay, GS I, II and III- Issues related to women and their economic potential. (Solve the MCQ given at the end of the article).
The Case:
Women account for over 43 per cent of all Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates in India, one of the highest in the world, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report 2019-20. However, just 14 per cent of them pursue scientific research in universities and institutions.
The Issue: Gender gap in the STEM field
The Problems:
1. Women’s entry into and retention in science in higher education is low.
2. Women display lower levels of career attainment than their male counterparts in STEM research.
3. STEM in our society is seen as stereotypically inappropriate for women without any scientific base.
Solutions/Suggestions:
1. Need for women role models in STEM
—The survey conducted by edTech platform Avishkar showed that 95 percent of children, including girls, recall only male role models as their inspiration in STEM fields.
—This highlights the urgent need to increase the exposure around women role models.
—Mentorship programmes should be introduced in schools, where successful women alumni mentor these kids on career development.
—Social media can also be roped in to promote women in science that can encourage young girls to choose their careers confidently.
—There is a need for gender sensitisation at the school level.
—Careers should be promoted as gender-neutral roles.
2. Better facilities for women in STEM workspaces
—Despite the fact that the number of women enrolled in STEM programmes has increased over the years, the increased education levels have not translated into increased employability or career opportunities.
—In India, women, in particular, quit their jobs in the middle of their careers, owing to the dual stress of combining work and family obligations.
—A 2016-17 NITI Aayog report, designed to understand the reasons behind the loss of trained women scientists also found that to be able to work longer in STEM, they expect age relaxation in eligibility criteria, an extension of benefits like housing, transport, and medical help, as well as flexibility in their job contracts that allows them more work-life flexibility.
—Career breaks need to be accommodated, as women scientists have dual commitments.
A motivational story- Experience of Neena Gupta:
—Indian mathematician and Ramanujan Prize 2021 winner Neena Gupta shared that Mathematics has been her favourite subject since childhood but she was discouraged by her family for a long time.
— Till very late, she had no idea that she could even pursue a degree, let alone have a career, in mathematics.
—“The initial idea instituted in me was to get a decent degree and get married. That’s what my family had taught me till the time I was in college. But once they realised my interest in the subject, they motivated me to continue pursuing my interest,” Gupta said.
Beyond the case:
The Global Gender Gap Index and India’s low ranking
—The Global Gender Gap Index for 2022 was released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
—It ranks India at 135 out of 146 countries.
What is Gender Gap?
—The gender gap is the difference between women and men as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes.
What is Global Gender Gap Index?
—The Global Gender Gap Index is released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
—The Global Gender Gap Index aims to measure this gap in four key areas: health, education, economics and politics.
How does India stand on different indices?
1. Political Empowerment- 48/146
2. Economic Participation and Opportunity- 143/ 146
3. Educational Attainment- 107/146
4. Health and Survival-146/146
Point to ponder: Lower women’s participation in the STEM fields needs to be addressed for closing the Gender gap.
MCQ:
Consider the following statements with respect to Gender Gap Index and select the right option.
1. In 2022, India’s score in Gender Gap Index is its seventh highest score till date.
2. India scored better in political empowerment than in educational attainment in the Gender Gap Index.
3. India scores the least in the Economic participation category of Gender Gap Index.
a) 1, 2 and 3
b) 1 and 3
c) 1 and 2
d) only 2
( sources- International Women’s Day: STEM-ming the gender gap by Sakshi Saroh, Explained: How gender equal is India as per the 2022 Global Gender Gap Index? by Udit Misra)
