Highlights:
- Ministry of Women and Child Development’s ‘Iconic Week,’ commemorated International Women’s Day
- Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani Emphasizes the Need to Encourage Young Girls to Actively Take Part in Events
- Smriti Irani, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, attended the event
The NariShakti discourse on ‘STEM and Financial Literacy for Young Women’ was conducted by UNICEF YuWaah. “STEM” is the acronym for “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.”
YuWaah
YuWaah is a multi-stakeholder worldwide platform founded by UNICEF. Its goal is to help young people make the transition from school to productive work and engaged citizenship.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund)
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a UN body tasked with providing humanitarian and developmental assistance to children around the world. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is active in 192 countries.
Concerning the occasion
- The celebration was part of the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s ‘Iconic Week,’ which included the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,’ which commemorated International Women’s Day.
- Smriti Irani, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, attended the event.
- Adolescent girls from all throughout India took part, sharing their experiences, aspirations, and recommendations for gender equality in STEM.
- The panellists explored strategies to encourage young women to pursue STEM-related occupations.
- They also talked on the benefits of women’s engagement in STEM to India’s economic growth, as well as government programmes that encourage women to pursue STEM careers.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) engagement by women
According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) for 2018-19, India has the greatest proportion of female STEM graduates in the world (43%), yet only 14% of STEM positions are held by women. In STEM fields, this indicates a ‘leaky pipeline.’
Women’s engagement in STEM is being complicated by a number of factors
- Gender roles in society are stereotyped.
- Marriage and childbirth-related stressors
- During the drive to work, there is a lack of physical safety.
- Harassment in the workplace, including sexual and other forms.
- Syndrome of ‘dual roles’ (Professional decisions are affected by domestic responsibilities).
- Lack of a suitable workplace or benefits such as a travel allowance, accommodation.
The event began with a panel discussion titled “Young Women in STEM: Opportunities, Challenges, and Solutions,” which aimed to bring together varied perspectives and inspire a commitment to gender equality in STEM.
Prof. K Vijay Raghavan, Dr. Nisha Mendiratta, Head, Programme Divisions of Women In Science and Engineering (WISE_ KIRAN) and Climate Change Programme (CCP), Dr. Rajendra Kumar, and shri Indevar Pandey participated in a panel discussion moderated by Dhuwarakha Sriram on how we can encourage young women to develop an interest in science, pursue higher education and careers in STEM-related fields, and so on.
The panel also explored the importance of women’s engagement in STEM and the benefits it brings to India’s economic and social growth, as well as government programmes that encourage women to pursue STEM careers.
