We live in an era of “iPad Kids” - children who seem surgically attached to their respective tablets and navigate the digital landscapes with ease before they’ve learned to write in cursive. In today’s digital age, technology is woven seamlessly into every part of the world; it is an essential need for every human being regardless of age, gender, or location. Given technology’s profound impact on the world, one might assume that the gender gap would be a relic of the past; yet as today’s “tech-savvy” children grow older, a familiar divide emerges in the domain of technology. The field of information and technology has long been recognized as male-dominated. According to the Global Gender Gap Report (2023), women made up 29.2%of the STEM workforce across 146 nations, despite representing 49.3 percent of the total workforce in non-STEM fields. The World Bank Report (2020) also found that women are less likely to enroll in STEM, particularly engineering and information and communication technology (ICT); women also exit the field earlier than their male counterparts. The underrepresentation of women in the STEM field is a global concern.
Ironically, women like Grace Hopper have been instrumental in shaping the history of information technology. In the 1940s women led major developments in programming and computer sciences, particularly during World War II, when they were hired to solve complex mathematical problems related to battlefield operations. After the 1980s and the 90s society began to associate IT predominantly with men. According to an article by Grace Hopper Academy, the representation of women in tech roles today is significantly lower than in the 1990s. The article also mentions the inequality faced by non-binary individuals in the tech fields. This further underscores the persistence of the “glass ceiling” - a psychological concept describing vertical discrimination that prevents marginalized communities from climbing the corporate ladder. Current research continues to investigate the existing gender disparities in the technological and related fields.
One study investigated the gender disparities in STEM, with a specific focus on implicit cognition. The findings of the study reveal that implicit and explicit bias plays a significant role in contributing to gender disparities in STEM fields, particularly in terms of compensation, representation, and recognition. The paper concludes by offering solutions at the individual and organizational levels to address the bias. The perception of tech being male-dominated has even influenced many school-going children and is not just restricted to tech jobs. A cross-sectional study on primary school students attempted to explain the low presence of women in STEM by studying the attitudes of young students toward math. The study assessed students’ self-perception and test anxiety towards math. The findings revealed significant gender differences, with girls exhibiting lower self-efficacy in math than boys and significantly higher test anxiety. The results suggest that early childhood experiences may shape girls’ attitudes toward mathematics at the high school level. Consequently, it is more likely for them to avoid studies with mathematical requirements, such as STEM degrees. So what could be the reason for such low confidence in female students toward STEM subjects?
Interestingly, the World Bank Report presents an intriguing paradox, as countries grow in terms of income and gender equality, the gender gap in STEM widens. India has the highest number of STEM graduates; however, women account for less than a third of the STEM workforce in India. This phenomenon is often described as a “leaky pipeline” - despite the ability to succeed in the STEM field, women tend not to pursue or drop out of the STEM workforce. A systematic review of gender differences in ICT use and related skills within education highlights that socioeconomic status, income, employment, and education are significant predictors of access to and use of ICT. The review found significant gender differences with males performing better than females in academia. Furthermore, it underscores gender disparities in ICT usage across individualistic and collectivistic cultures. For instance, in collectivistic societies (e.g., African countries) traditional norms and expectations can impact the access to and interest in ICT. Conversely, in individualistic societies (e.g., Norway, Finland), gender differences in ICT may be narrower. These cultural dynamics bring Stereotype Threat Theory (STT) to the fore - when negative stereotypes already persist regarding a specific group, the group members are more likely to not perform to the best of their potential and ability. The findings of the review also align with this theory as it mentions that in countries with pronounced socio-economic divides, females tend to self-assess lower ICT skills despite being capable, which further highlights the cultural impact on perceived abilities.
Some efforts and initiatives have been introduced by the Indian institutions to improve female representation in the tech workforce. Programs like WISE-KIRAN: Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN, SERB-POWER: Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research, and Vigyan Jyoti Programme are actively working to address the imbalance. Although men continue to dominate the student demographic at most IITs, in recent years, the institutions have added seats specifically for women to boost female enrollment. Research published in 2021, shows gender parity across disciplines at undergraduate, post-graduation, and M.Phil level in India. The findings show a rise in female enrollment in STEM fields with greater participation in biological science but not in physical sciences and mathematics. The study also concludes by addressing societal and cultural factors affecting female participation in STEM.
Innovation and creation have no gender, as we navigate the world where technology and digital screens are a second language to many, the need to shatter the glass ceiling has never been more urgent in the tech force. It is time to shut down outdated stereotypes and reboot a future where anyone regardless of gender can code, create, and conquer!
T. Roy
