Gender Gap in engineering and medical Colleges in India

Abstract

Engineering field is known for its driving innovation and technological advancements but the existence of Gender gap in the field of Engineering is not new and has been an interest of study for many scholars. The field has witnessed an enrolment ratio dominated primarily by one particular gender (males). In a developing country like India, the population is predominately young and this gap can create a huge difference. However, a noticeable gender gap is also witnessed amidst the students opting for medicine in India with the Enrolment ratio of females being higher. The large population in India creates a surging demand for admissions into reputed institutes, and these institutes are few in number, in order to make it an even ground for students to enter these institutes, National level examinations are conducted every year like the NEET and the JEE. These examinations determine student’s admission into IIT’s and other reputed institutes. The article analyses the statistical data from past five years of the National-level exams conducted for students interested to pursue medicine (NEET) and engineering (JEE). The mean difference from the following data was tabulated and represented graphical using SPSS. A significant gender gap was observed in enrolement of JEE and NEET, with a statistically difference of 456062.8 for JEE enrolement and 226706.80 NEET. The study also analyses the student enrolment data of Engineering and Medical Science courses in India from 2010- 16, which again indicate an existence of gender gap in Engineering and Medical Sciences Colleges in India. Further, the study encourages policies and research towards bridging this gap.

Keywords

• Engineering colleges
• Gender Gap
• Medical Colleges
• STEM Education.