Addressing Gender Inequity in Indian STEM Academia

The underrepresentation of women in STEM academia remains a significant issue worldwide. In India, this problem is exacerbated by the lack of comprehensive data on the proportion of women faculty across multiple STEM institutions. Women researchers in Indian science academia are not only underrepresented but also under-highlighted, under-mentored, and often overlooked for awards, grants, and other career-advancing opportunities. To effectively address these issues, a detailed database documenting the proportion of women faculty across STEM fields in India is essential. Unfortunately, such a resource does not currently exist. BiasWatchIndia aims to fill this gap by creating a repository of data that profiles the proportion of women across various STEM disciplines in almost 100 universities and institutes in India. In addition to this, they also track the representation of women speakers at STEM conferences, workshops, and panels.

Globally, women in STEM face significant challenges. For instance, women in the United States comprise only 16% of Physics faculty, 16.5% in Engineering, and 25% in Mathematics, with somewhat better representation in Biology (46%) and Chemistry (40%)ly, UK universities report higher representation in Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences (47%, 30%, and 38%) than in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Engineering (20%, 24%, 23%, and 21%, respectively). Despite this, academia continues to pose barriers that hinder the retention and advancement of women in STEM fields.

To shine a light on this issue in India, BiasWatchIndia conducts regular gender audits across universities and departments. These audits are crucial in ensuring that there is collective awareness of the current status, understanding the outcomes of implemented policies, and defining future targets to achieve equity. Without such a comprehensive repository in India, the underrepresentation of women in STEM conferences often goes unnoticed, leading to the misconception that there is a lack of qualified female researchers and speakers.

BiasWatchIndia’s database, built over three years, offers valuable insights into the extent of women’s underrepresentation in Indian STEM academia and conferences. Their findings reveal the depth of the problem and provide a foundation for recommending concrete measures that universities and institutes can implement to challenge the status quo and foster a more equitable environment for women in academia.

Key Findings

Base Rates of Women Faculty in Indian Academia BiasWatchIndia's analysis of 98 universities revealed a median base rate of 16.7% for women faculty across all STEM fields. Biology had the highest median base rate at 22.5%, while Engineering had the lowest at 8.3%. When examining the top-ranked institutions according to the National Institutional Research Framework (NIRF) rankings, the median base rate for women faculty dropped to 10%, highlighting a stark underrepresentation even in prestigious institutions.

Career Stage Distribution The analysis also showed a significant drop in the proportion of women faculty as they advanced in their careers. Of the women faculty members surveyed, 46.3% were in the early-career stage, 27.5% were mid-career, and only 26.2% were in the senior-career stage. This trend reflects the well-documented "leaky pipeline" phenomenon, where women leave academia at higher rates as they progress in their careers.

Women’s Representation in STEM Conferences In Phase I of their study, BiasWatchIndia found that 39% of the conferences had no women speakers, and 60% of all conferences underrepresented women compared to the base rate for their respective fields. Mathematics conferences were particularly concerning, with 80% having no women speakers and 90% underrepresenting women compared to the base rate.

In Phase II, although the number of documented conferences was lower, some improvement was noted. The proportion of conferences with zero women speakers decreased to 26%, and 55% of conferences still underrepresented women compared to the base rate. Despite these improvements, the data indicates that women remain significantly underrepresented in STEM conferences across all fields.