Women shying away from tech careers for lack of support

Mumbai: Companies struggle to find right women talent with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) profiles as lack of family support and higher cost of education discourage girls from pursuing higher education in this stream, according to industry experts. The gender gap persists largely in STEM education due to societal and cultural factors including gender biases and lack of support.

“While the higher cost of education can sometimes be a factor, the bigger issue is a lack of encouragement from a young age, limited role models, and not enough support for women entering STEM related fields,” workforce solutions provider NLB Services CEO Sachin Alug told PTI. This is making it difficult for companies to find the right women talent from the STEM stream, he said, adding that lack of gender diversity is limiting creativity, innovation and different perspectives to solve complex business problems. Echoing a similar view, home-grown software solutions provider in business processes Tally Solutions executive director Nupur Goenka said there is a huge gap in men-women ratio in the STEM area as access to continuous education is a privilege rather than a right.

“To encourage women, it is important to change how we perceive a woman’s role in society at a fundamental level across the population. Without this, it is difficult to imagine how social construct, education opportunity, workforce opportunity, culture, safety, and policies will all start working together to create a system where women can succeed in STEM,” he noted.