Context:

• On World Youth Skills Day 2025, India faces a key challenge: despite women making up 43% of STEM graduates—the highest globally—only 27% work in STEM roles.
• While female labour force participation has risen to 41.7% (PLFS 2023–24), rural women show higher engagement than urban women due to formal employment barriers.
• Globally, only 31.5% of researchers are women (UNESCO 2021), highlighting the education-employment gap.
• Closing this gap could add up to $700 billion to India’s GDP by 2025 (McKinsey), with the World Bank noting a potential 1% GDP growth boost if female participation reaches 50%.

Government Vision for STEM Skilling and Women’s Empowerment

• The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has laid a foundation for improving STEM education access and retention in India, integrating academic learning with skills development and life skills training.
• The Ministry of Education is focusing on revitalising Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and expanding vocational skilling, especially in rural areas, making quality technical education more accessible to youth across India.
• Viksit Bharat and Gender Budgeting
  • This effort aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat, where women’s economic participation is seen as essential for inclusive growth.
  • Reflecting this, the share of the gender budget has increased from 6.8% in 2024–25 to 8.8% in 2025–26, with ₹4.49 lakh crore allocated toward gender-focused programmes.
• Union Budget 2025–26 Initiatives
  • The Union Budget 2025–26 introduced term loans for women entrepreneurs, new National Skill Training Institutes, and investments in technology-driven skilling.
  • Together with policies like Skill India, Digital India, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and PM Vishwakarma Yojana, the framework is geared toward empowering women through skills and opportunities.
• The Role of Industry
  • Despite government efforts, policy alone cannot fully bridge the education-to-employment gap for women in STEM.
  • Industry must take an active role, not just as recruiters but as partners in enabling women’s career transitions through mentorship, reskilling, and workplace inclusivity.

Industry as the Missing Link in Women’s STEM Careers

• While government policies focus on skilling, industry plays a crucial role in ensuring women transition from education to employment.
• Persistent social norms—such as viewing technical trades as masculine—create invisible barriers that discourage women from entering or staying in STEM fields.
• Studies by the World Bank and UNESCO show women leave these fields not due to a lack of ability, but because of unwelcoming workplaces, lack of family support, and deeply gendered roles.

Addressing Workplace and Social Barriers

• To truly unlock women’s potential, issues like workplace safety, equitable pay, and support for career breaks related to marriage or caregiving must be addressed.
• Changing perceptions within families and communities is as important as providing skills.

Private Sector Initiatives and Community Engagement

• India’s private sector is beginning to take responsibility through mentoring programmes, industry-linked training, and partnerships with educational institutions.
• A notable example is UN Women’s WeSTEM programme, run in collaboration with the Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with support from the Micron Foundation.
• WeSTEM not only provides skills but also engages families, promotes workplace safety, and introduces women role models, recognising that mindsets must evolve for skilling efforts to succeed.

A Blueprint for Industry Leadership in Women’s STEM Careers

• To bridge the gap between education and employment for women in STEM, industry must take proactive leadership.
• This includes partnerships with educational institutions, structured mentorship networks connecting professionals with students, and workplace policies that support life transitions such as marriage, childbirth, and caregiving, while ensuring safety and inclusivity.

Conclusion

• The real question is not whether India can afford to invest in women’s STEM careers, but whether industry can afford not to.
• Equipping women with skills and opportunities strengthens not just individual careers but the fabric of society itself.
• When women earn, their influence extends from homes to industries and policy decisions. Their empowerment is central to building a future-ready, inclusive, and economically strong India.