Bridging the Gender Gap: Women in STEM-related Higher Education in India

This paper explores the gendered structures of care, time, and institutional culture, as they shape women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and employment pathways in India. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with female STEM graduates, professionals and academics between 2021 and 2023, it analyses how care responsibilities, time poverty, and patriarchal norms interact to constrain women's ability to engage fully in paid work, education, and personal care. While existing public policy frameworks in India focus on skilling and inclusion, they do not recognise the emotional, social, and structural contexts that shape women's experiences and their ability to learn and work. The paper extends the care framework by combining feminist ethics of care with institutional practice, mentoring, and structural design. It argues for a comprehensive reorientation of India's STEM education ecosystem by positioning care, relational empathy, and support structures in the educational and economic opportunities. 1