Women’s representation in Indian academia is like a tale of weaving success, thread by thread. Over the years, women have toiled away at their zeal for acquiring and imparting knowledge remarkably. The literacy rate for women in India has climbed from a mere 8.86% in 1951 to over 70% now.
Several government policies and scholarship programs over the years have helped women spread their wings and come a long way. Yet, the current standing of women in academia seems like the “battle half won”.
According to UDISE+ data for 2023-24, women now account for 53.3 percent of all school teachers in India - the highest participation till now. It’s quite encouraging to witness the increase in female representation, but it also raises some crucial questions. When teaching has become a female dominated position, why are only few of them leading the profession? Are we truly addressing the challenges women face in education and beyond?
Leadership & The Digital Divide
Women are largely underrepresented in the leadership roles even today, with less than 10 percent educational institutions led by women in India. The number of girls pursuing STEM education indicates a significant gender disparity, where women have not yet crossed the 50 percent mark, be it graduation or the workforce.
The differential entry barrier to Science and Technology fields begins at an early stage for women. Socio-cultural barriers and the gender digital divide discourage girls’ participation in STEM fields at a very young age.
Digital divide refers to the lack of access to digital resources for women, the much needed aid to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Not to mention the social biases against women studying STEM and pursuing their career in this discipline. A handful of them who overcome these challenges and make it to the leadership roles in this field succumb to the bias eventually.
Psychosocial Hazards
If we look deeper, we realise that women are less likely to grow in their academic careers than their male counterparts. Despite making up more than half general educators, women are not climbing up the leadership ladder. Even if they do, they are more reserved than men while negotiating their promotions or remuneration.
Biases and discrimination dissuade them at every step and then comes the never-ending strife for work-life balance. Women are tirelessly juggling between workload and daily responsibilities. They are actually running a marathon where the finish line seems blurry with not the feasible environment to push through the end.
Gaping Disparity
Another pressing issue faced by women in education is ‘equal education but unequal pay’! Men and women may have the same qualification and talent, but men are making vast gains in their careers. A lot can be attributed to the lack of confidence among women while facing the male dominated world. Women are trying to put up with the enduring grip of the gender pay gap, but equal pay for work of equal value seems like a far cry. The problem with pay parity is observed globally, and not much has changed over the two decades.
Faux Feminism
To address these disparities and advocate for equal rights, the global movement of feminism recently gained traction, especially on social media platforms. However, its portrayal in social spaces often feels misrepresented, diluting its impact.
Social media has become like a double-sided sword for women rights movements. Rather than giving visibility to the actual problems of women, social media presents the flaws of modern feminism where the focus is more on normalizing women’s bodies and talking about ‘womanly’ things. The idea of glorifying women’s suffrage and emphasizing the inequalities faced by them have sadly taken a backstage.
This quote by Mary Wollstonecraft, a women’s writer and activist mentions the true gist of feminism in her book, A Validation of the Rights of Woman, “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.”
Role of Schools in Empowerment
The problem is deeply rooted in the early education setup where we need to challenge the stereotypes and foster a more inclusive learning environment for both genders. Schools need to take the lead by embedding gender equality into their curriculum and encouraging meaningful conversations about justice and fairness.
“We want the education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet.” - Swami Vivekananda
It is important to create gender-inclusive classrooms where activities are planned in a way that promotes equal participation by both genders in projects and assignments. These activities can be around promoting diverse interests where students, especially girls, can feel encouraged enough to pursue their interest areas.
The real concept of feminism that advocates gender equality in all aspects of life must be imparted at an early stage to create an aura of empathy where men play an equal role in redefining gender roles.
Further, the incorporation of entrepreneurial skills in the school curriculum would equip girls with necessary skills and confidence to overcome societal challenges and succeed in all aspects of life. It is also essential that workspaces are not gender defined; although, in principle, it is thought and said that all fields are open to women. Practically there is a long way to go.
For example, it is often seen in the field of media that coverage of some beats is given only to girls while in others there are very few women reporters. It is often seen on the road that if a woman is driving, her small mistakes are turned into unforgivable crimes by the entire traffic, whereas this is not the case with male drivers. It is now necessary to make such examples redundant.
Femme Force
One last thing that hast to be conveyed to women professionals in the academic world is that they need to build their professional network and reach out to inspiring women in the field. The idea is to identify mentors who can help envision their career goals and aspirations. They need to look for people with shared values and interests who can help them stand strong amidst all the challenges.
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