Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Why do most women shun Science, Maths and Technology?' that was published in Newsband

Why do most women shun Science, Maths and Technology?

Why women don’t pursue particular courses of study and professions? Gender discrepancies are most stark in the science disciplines. This prevents women from participating in the science and technology industry. Women graduates are discriminated against.

Some men argue that men outperform women in Science and Maths due to biological differences and that discrimination was not a barrier. But many don’t agree to this. The Iranian government has recently barred women from careers in nuclear physics and electrical engineering. Chinese institutions expect women to obtain higher entry grades for science courses than their male counterparts. This is not fair. In an open, democratic society, there should be equality of opportunities.

In India, the female-to-male student ratio in most scientific disciplines has been rising, but yet there are very less women than men in major scientific establishments and even in the upper echelons of science administration and management. There are thousands of capable women who wish to make a career in science but are not able to do so. There are very few women scientists who have won prestigious awards in Science and Technology. Women scientists who did get the jobs in science stream had to face gender-insensitive organizational practices and workplace discrimination, which came in way of their career growth. Many also had to face gender-related nepotism and even sexual harassment.

You find less women in science and technology fields probably because women have a lot of responsibility within a family. The science and technology arena expects a lot more dedication than any of the other fields. Eventually only those females who are highly motivated and have support from the family can make some mark.

The common reason one finds for discrimination against prospective female graduates seeking entry into research is the prejudice on the part of scientists that female students may seek break from activity for marriage and maternity. Even female scientists hold such prejudices against prospective research students. Many of these female graduates who are discriminated are found to be far better in ability compared to their competitors.

Another thing is more females are found in Biology and Chemistry than in Mathematics and Physics. The question is whether most women are really not fit for careers in Science, Mathematics and Technology?