Engineering Career for Women:AN EXAMINATION OF ORISSAN WOMEN’S LESS ACCESS TO

AND RETENTION IN ENGINEERING CAREERS

Dillip PattanaikWISE-India

ICWES15th, 19-22 July, 2011, Adelaide, Australia

Millennium Development Goals

Goal – 1 : Eradicate Extreme Poverty & hunger

Goal – 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

Goal – 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

Goal – 4: Reduce child mortality

Goal – 5: Improve maternal health

Goal – 6: Combat HIV, Malaria and other diseases

Goal – 7: Ensure Environment al Sustainability

Goal – 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

GOAL – 3

Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

TARGET

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all level of education no later than 2015

Facts about India

• Area : 3.29 million sq.kms• 7th largest country• Population: 1,210,193,422 (1.21 billion) as per 2011 Census• 2.4 per cent of world’s surface area• 16.7 percent of world’s population• 75 percent of population live in rural areas• 6,60,000 villages• Literacy rate : 75.96% (Male) & 54.28% (Female)• 27 percent of rural population below poverty-line (less than 1 dollar per day)• Percentage of Tribal (ST) population : 8.08

India at a Glance

Development of Engineering Education in India

The rate of participation of women in engineering courses from 1969-79 was very low. The situation improved slightly from 1980-87, reaching 9.0 of the population Further improvement seen between 1988-93 The enrollment of women reached its peak of 14.05% in 1996 and the current percentage is 23% by 2011

Faculty-wise enrollment of students

• Engineering traditionally looked upon as a profession only for men

• From 1 per cent or so in the 1970s, the enrollment of women for the country as a whole is now more than 25% per cent in India.

Engineering: Current position in India

• Gender factors typical to women restrict higher education and job opportunities for women engineers

• Difficulty in being accepted as equals in a male-dominated profession and difficulty in rising to the top

• There is discrimination against women that sometimes operates in subtle ways

Status of women engineers

Women enrolment of total enrolment 22.2%Graduates 15.43Largest presence in Electronics Engineering 37.1Technical educational institutions 29.8Teaching 31.8

A quick glance of Women Engineers in India

• Mostly in teaching jobs• Very low presence in other capacities• Upper Level Managerial positions are too less

• Women engineers hardly at the head of professional bodies or recognized with any prestigious awards.

A quick glance of Women Engineers in India

• Even this limited picture of engineering and technology education and profession primarily an urban phenomena in India

• So what are the prospects for rural women in the engineering and technology sphere in India?

• 70% Indian population resides in rural areas. A majority of Indian women live in the rural areas.

Prospects of Engineering for Rural Women

• Area: 1,55,000 Sq. kms.• Population : 41,947,358 (41 million) 2011 census• No. of villages – 47,000• Rural population : 85 percent• Poverty Rate : 47% (63 percent in rural areas)• Literacy Rate: Male-72.4% Female-54.4%

Orissa State at a Glance

• Education and research are the major forefronts of Orissa.

• The investment for higher education is mainly done by the state government and private sector.

• The learning system in Orissa has provided a base to various engineering colleges and professional institutes.

• There is a plethora of top engineering colleges in Orissa providing modern and qualitative educational facilities.

• The top engineering colleges in Orissa offers highly qualified a faculty with top placement records for the engineering aspirants.

Engineering Education & Career in Brief in Orissa

2006 2006 2008 2009 20100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

48 51 5256

61

Year wise no. of colleges

No. of engineering colleges in Orissa

• No of engineering colleges : 48 (in 2006) and increased upto 61 by 2010

• Nos. of intake per year – 15033 and increased upto 15331 by 2010

Engineering Education & Career in Brief

2006 2007 2008 2009 20100

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

15033 15117 15147 15181 15331

13380 13151 12875 12608 12112

1653 1966 2272 2580 3219

TotalMaleFemale

Nos. of enrollment in engineering (year-wise)

In spite of all these efforts by government and private sector….

• Participation of rural girls in higher education continues to be low and negligible in engineering and technology sphere.

• The drop out rate is higher among girls in primary, secondary and higher education

• Gender gap is less at primary level and higher in higher levels.

Enrolment and retention

The Barriers : Economic

• High admission fees •Difficulty in getting job• Reluctance of employers to give jobs to women• Less promotions• Less salaries as compared to men• Less professional recognition

Social• Family Background• Results in early marriages, early motherhood engaging girls in child bearing and rearing roles rather than in education• Family takes a priority over career ambitions

Other Factors•Less awareness •Less willing to travel • Less willing to relocate or shift base•Mutual Career Priorities Competitionbetween Wives & Husbands

• Many schemes and programs for enhancing women’s presence and participation in engineering education and profession from time to time

• But benefits have been restricted to the urban areas and have not been very effective for rural women.

• Rural women remain largely excluded from engineering and technology education and employment in Orissa / India.

Rural women/girls largely excluded

WISE - INDIA To create awareness and to encourage women

engineers and scientists to and promote women scientists and engineers them reach the top --- WISE – India has been created – to become the voice of women engineers and scientists.

WISE – INDIA is supported by International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists and looks forward to its guidance and cooperation for its future activities

VISION

To build better prospects for women in science and engineering through their active

participation and involvement

Mission WISE - India aims to create career opportunities for women

by increasing awareness, providing support, enhancing capacity building and by influencing policies for promoting women in the field of science and engineering.

WISE – India also provides a platform for dissemination and sharing of knowledge, mentoring, professional development and networking opportunities to facilitate the success of women in the science and engineering related fields.

Thank You