Why India Needs Political Reform to Retain Women in STEM Careers
India has made significant progress in encouraging girls and young women to pursue education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Classrooms and college campuses increasingly reflect gender diversity, and more young women are stepping into fields once considered exclusively male. Yet beyond education, a troubling reality persists that many of these women do not remain in STEM careers long-term. The challenge, therefore, is no longer just access to education but retention in the workforce and addressing this gap requires political and structural reform.
Data highlights this contradiction. According to the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22, women account for 43% of enrolment in STEM disciplines in higher education. This is a remarkable figure, suggesting that India has succeeded in widening the educational pipeline. In states like Gujarat, there has even been a sharp rise in women applying for seats in mechanical and civil engineering disciplines historically coded as masculine within Indian professional culture. These trends signal ambition, capability, and changing social attitudes among younger generations.
However, the workforce numbers tell a different story. A response presented in Parliament, citing the Research and Development Statistics Report 2023, revealed that women constituted only 18.6% of India’s STEM research workforce in 2021. The drop from classroom participation to professional representation is stark. Somewhere between graduation and career progression, women are exiting the system.
Why does this happen?
The barriers are structural rather than individual. Workplace cultures in many scientific and technical institutions remain male-dominated and often inflexible. Limited maternity support, lack of affordable childcare, gender bias in hiring and promotions, and the absence of mentorship networks disproportionately affect women. Career breaks often taken for caregiving responsibilities can permanently derail research trajectories in systems that reward uninterrupted productivity.
Political change is essential because these barriers are systemic. Government policy shapes institutional norms, funding structures, workplace protections, and accountability mechanisms. Stronger parental leave policies, re-entry fellowships for women returning after career breaks, gender-sensitive grant allocation, transparent promotion criteria, and mandatory diversity reporting can create a more equitable ecosystem. Investment in childcare infrastructure and flexible work models in public research institutions would also make a tangible difference.
Retaining women in STEM is not simply a matter of fairness; it is an economic and innovation imperative. Diverse research teams produce better scientific outcomes, broader perspectives, and more socially responsive technologies. For a country aspiring to global leadership in science and innovation, losing nearly half of its trained STEM talent represents a significant loss of intellectual capital.
India has already succeeded in opening the doors of STEM education to women. The next challenge is ensuring that those doors remain open throughout their professional lives. Political reform, institutional accountability, and sustained commitment to gender equity are critical to transforming participation into long-term leadership.
