Women Undergraduates in Engineering Education in India: A Study of Growing Participation

Abstract

Engineering is generally regarded as a “men’s sphere,” and women in engineering are underrepresented everywhere, including India. However, recent years have witnessed a tremendous increase in the enrollment of women in undergraduate engineering education in India. This brings into question the male image of engineering and the operation of patriarchy in society. This article argues that the notion of the masculine image of science and engineering is simplistic, and that the culture-specific picture is a variegated one wherein market forces, dynamically developing social changes, gender, and technology intersect. Through an empirical survey of women in an engineering college, this article demonstrates that the increase in their participation is specific to computer-related fields in engineering, and directly related to a vibrant market. Although there is no radical shift in the traditional “patrifocal” ideology, the trend of growing number of women engineers reflects the forces of change demonstrating that the masculine “image” is not static either in time or space.

Key Words:

• Patrifocality
• women’s participation
• masculine image
• social context
• market