Women bunk tech careers for lack of support, higher cost; add to workforce gender gap: Experts

MUMBAI: Companies struggle to find right women talent with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) profiles as lack of family support and higher cost of education discourage girls from pursuing higher education in this stream, according to industry experts. The gender gap persists largely in STEM education due to societal and cultural factors including gender biases and lack of support.

"While the higher cost of education can sometimes be a factor, the bigger issue is a lack of encouragement from a young age, limited role models, and not enough support for women entering STEM related fields," workforce solutions provider NLB Services CEO Sachin Alug told PTI.

This is making it difficult for companies to find the right women talent from the STEM stream, he said, adding that lack of gender diversity is limiting creativity, innovation and different perspectives to solve complex business problems. Echoing a similar view, home-grown software solutions provider in business processes Tally Solutions executive director Nupur Goenka said there is a huge gap in men-women ratio in the STEM area as access to continuous education is a privilege rather than a right.

"To encourage women, it is important to change how we perceive a woman's role in society at a fundamental level across the population. Without this, it is difficult to imagine how social construct, education opportunity, workforce opportunity, culture, safety, and policies will all start working together to create a system where women can succeed in STEM," he noted.

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Significance of STEM education

Tally, she said, talks to young girls in schools and colleges to encourage women to choose and continue in the STEM fields. "I do believe that every company should look at equal opportunity without compromising merit and talent," she added. Quess Deputy CEO - IT Staffing, Kapil Joshi said that there is an improvement in male-female ratio in STEM across colleges, which will gradually reflect in the job market in the future.

"However, several societal and geopolitical challenges continue to hinder this progress. These barriers include social biases against women in certain STEM fields, a lack of resources and leadership commitment, gaps in the education ecosystem, issues of socialisation and isolation in STEM, and others," he added.

He said, the significance of STEM education is underscored by the fact that 80 per cent of jobs created in the next decade will require some form of maths and science skills. Moreover, 70 per cent of the top-paying jobs globally will demand highly skilled STEM graduates, he said, adding that fields like statistics, information security, and computer science are expected to see substantial growth, making it imperative that we prepare a gender-diverse workforce to meet this demand.

"Addressing the gender skill gap in STEM is crucial for India's economic future. As we move forward, it's essential that we continue to foster an environment where women in STEM can thrive, contributing to a more innovative and equitable workforce," added Joshi.