Supernumerary Seats at IITs Boost Female Representation in STEM
Supernumerary seats at IITs aim to bridge India's STEM gender gap, encouraging morefemale participation in top engineering institutions
Gender Gap in STEM Education
A concerning gender disparity continues to plague STEM education in India, particularly in premier institutions like the IITs. Despite academic progress and awareness, female representation remains alarmingly low, exposing a systemic imbalance that starts from early education levels and intensifies by the time students reach higher education


Government’s Supernumerary Seat Initiative
To address this, the Indian government introduced supernumerary seats for female students in IITs, which are additional seats exclusively for women without reducing the seats for others. This policy has significantly improved female enrolment and aims to provide an equal platform for deserving female candidates
Olympiad Results Reveal Deeper Gaps
While the initiative is showing positive results, STEM Olympiad data reveals deeper gender gaps in performance and participation. Experts suggest that equal representation needs to start early through supportive schooling, mentorship programs, and gender–neutral encouragement in science and mathematics
