Perception of Engineering Among Girls in India: Implications on Career Decisions

Abstract

India is witnessing a steady growth in the enrolment of girls into engineering education. There has been a change in the enrolment status from 9% in 2012 to almost 20% in 2023. This positive movement may be attributed to the affirmative actions taken by the Indian government in promoting engineering education among girls. These actions were conceived with a hope to reach critical mass to maintain the momentum. The vision thus is to facilitate participation of girls in technical domain as an organic movement. Taking this development into cognizance, this study examines the current perception of engineering among female science students (those opted for Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry in senior secondary classes) and their intended direction of higher education. Senior high school female science students from seven different high schools (n=150) were administered an open-ended question seeking their understanding on engineers and engineering. 137 students responded. The responses were analysed using content analysis. The analysis resulted in four categories viz., ‘Impression of engineers’, ‘Impression of engineering career’, ‘Association of utilitarian value, and ‘Association of income’. The theme which ran across these categories was ‘relate, recognize and requirement’. The study revealed that largely female students have expressed their intention of higher education, without exploring or seeking more clarity on the image which they hold to be correct.  It could also be seen that there was no explicit mention of the gendered nature of engineering although it was implicit in their perception. We, thus propose interventions aiming at providing a comprehensive view on engineering field making it as an attractive and possible career option for female science students.