Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is widely recognised as a cornerstone of economic growth, innovation and social development. Yet, across many education systems, girls remain underrepresented in STEM subjects and careers. As per digital feminist platform FeminisminIndia (May 23, 2025), in areas like data and AI, women make up roughly 26% of professionals, and in engineering and cloud computing, the share drops to around 15% and 12%, respectively. According to a January 2026 update from UNESCO, women comprise only 35% of STEM graduates worldwide, and this proportion has remained largely unchanged over the past decade, highlighting the persistent gender gap in STEM education and careers. According to the World Economic Forum, women made up only 28.2% of the STEM global workforce in 2024. These statistics compel us to ask three very important questions.
Why are women not taking up STEM education and pursuing STEM careers?
How proficient is our education system in promoting girls in STEM?
What proportion of the nation’s GDP is spent on enhancing STEM education?
As a STEM trainer working with educators across the globe, I have observed a significant mindset-related challenge: STEM education is often perceived as being outside teachers’ primary scope of responsibility and is therefore entrusted to external providers. While this approach offers students valuable exposure to STEM concepts, it is separated from classroom instruction, leading to limited teacher involvement and accountability for student learning outcomes. Schools should invest in STEM training for teachers, equipping them with resources and supporting them in curriculum mapping. Also, consistent baseline and endline skill-based assessments measuring critical thinking, problem solving, digital literacy, data literacy, creativity and more, should be undertaken to check students' learning progress.
Another common challenge is that teachers often equate robotics and coding with STEM education. While these are important, they represent only a subset of a much broader framework. In reality, STEM is embedded in everyday life. Take a simple, daily-use item like a toothbrush. The Science of it lies in selecting materials that are safe, durable and hygienic, such as plastics, nylon or bamboo, and in understanding tooth structure, gum health and plaque formation to inform effective design. The concept of friction enables plaque removal without damaging enamel. The Technology may be as simple as a manual toothbrush or as advanced as an electric toothbrush with sonic technology, eco-friendly bristles, motors, pressure sensors and rechargeable batteries. Some modern toothbrushes even incorporate Bluetooth connectivity, mobile applications and AI-driven feedback to track and improve brushing habits. The Engineering is evident in ergonomic handle design for comfort and control, bristle movement and head flexibility to reach all tooth surfaces effectively. Mathematics underpins the precise measurement and arrangement of bristles, like length, spacing, angles, orientation, as well as the analysis of brushing effectiveness, wear rates and user behaviour patterns. This illustrates how STEM is not confined to specialised tools or activities; it is everywhere. If we integrate everyday phenomena, activities or products into classroom learning, wouldn’t students warm up more to STEM education?
In STEM training for tribal teachers, the KEF team discovered how they use STEM on a day-to-day basis without realising it. Residing in rural areas, surrounded by flora and fauna, they face hardships in their daily routine and use critical thinking to resolve small issues. For example, to cross small streams, they build low-cost modular footbridges made from bamboo/wooden planks/recycled materials, anchored with ropes and stabilised with rocks. Thus, they are choosing materials that resist water damage, using levers (crowbars), pulleys/ropes, basic drilling or lashing techniques, estimating materials needed and total cost. They are also measuring stream width, plank spacing, height of bridge above water, height of handrail. They regularly apply STEM principles but are unaware of it.
Another challenge in India is the narrow perception of STEM careers - largely framed around engineering and medicine, despite the vast and growing range of STEM professions available today. Far fewer students are encouraged to consider emerging and interdisciplinary careers such as marine biologist, environmental scientist, geologist, cartographer, transportation planner, information security or cybersecurity analyst, actuary, data scientist or analyst, AI and machine learning specialist, cloud architect or administrator, renewable energy technician (solar or wind), virtual or augmented reality architect, and user interface (UI/UX) designer. Broadening awareness about these opportunities is essential if students are to envision STEM as a diverse, future-ready career ecosystem.
To augment this thinking, representation within the curriculum also matters. Textbooks, classroom examples and assessment tasks that highlight STEM careers, contributions of women scientists, engineers and technologists, along with male role models, will help counter stereotypes and expand students’ sense of what is possible. As per Insights IAS (December 2025), India’s Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is stagnant at ~0.64% of GDP, compared to the global average of ~1.8% and China’s 2.4%. When governments actively support STEM education and promote girls’ participation in STEM, systemic change can occur through sustained investment in research and school infrastructure, gender-responsive education policies, curriculum reforms that integrate real-world and interdisciplinary STEM learning, and large-scale teacher professional development. Targeted scholarships, mentorship programs, early exposure initiatives and partnerships between schools, industry and research institutions could further expand access and aspiration for girls. Equally important is the development of national strategies that embed digital literacy, AI education and ethical technology use across schooling, ensuring that girls are not only consumers of technology but future innovators and leaders in STEM fields.
Said astrophysicist and science communicator, Neil deGrasse Tyson - “Science literacy is the artery through which the solutions of tomorrow’s problems flow.”
References
Society of Women Engineers. (2025). Global STEM Workplace. SWE. https://swe.org/research/2025/global-stem-workplace/
Sanduja, J. (2025, May 23). The 35% problem: Unpacking gender gaps in STEM through the UNESCO GEM report. Feminism in India. https://feminisminindia.com/2025/05/23/the-35-problem-unpacking-gender-gaps-in-stem-through-the-unesco-gem-report3. Insights Editor. (2025, December 9). India’s STEM future. InsightsIAS. https://www.insightsonindia.com/2025/12/09/indias-stem-future/
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