07-07-2025
Gender stereotypes limit career prospects of women: IIT-P study
Patna: The age-old gender stereotypes continue to exert a significant influence on the career decisions of women in higher education institutions in Bihar and Jharkhand, as indicated by a recent study carried out at the Indian Institute of Technology Patna (IIT-P).
The study conducted by Sweta Sinha and her team at the department of humanities and social sciences at IIT-P clearly indicates how despite the so-called women's empowerment gender stereotyping affects employment by limiting their career choices. Debraj Gogoi, Dheeraj Kumar and Indrajeet Jyoti of IIT Patna are the other members of the study team.
The study sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and published in the recent edition of a journal "Language in India" reveals that technical professions are typically viewed as masculine and thus preferred by male students, whereas female students are more inclined toward roles like teaching and nursing.
The study further indicates that educational premises expose students to their expected social roles, thus profoundly impacting nascent cognitive minds in their formative years. Consequently, professions viewed as real-world are often seen as masculine, making them more favoured by males, while social and artistic roles are traditionally associated with femininity and are thus preferred by females. While growing up, male children are allowed to engage in mechanical, scientific, and technical activities compared to female children.
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Despite the absence of gender-based variations in academic grades, parents are more inclined to perceive science as both less captivating and more challenging for their daughters compared to their sons, the study says. Interestingly, the research findings indicate a nuanced perspective among female respondents, challenging stereotypes in their attitudes toward leadership positions and teaching roles in science and technology.
However, male respondents exhibit more stereotypical views, particularly in their skepticism regarding female teachers' suitability for science and technology streams.
The study further reveals that gender discrimination is not just encoded in language and linguistic codes but in other modes of expression like colour choices in art forms, shapes and sizes of symbols creating and contextualizing gender stereotypes in social minds.
Such stereotypes result in limited opportunities for women in the professional domains, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Such prevailing stereotypes not only limit professional prospects for women but also condition them into self-doubt owing to the 'normalization' of such a discriminatory mindset as a social reality. Such conditioning results from consistent exposure to subtle social cues and practices that impact their cognition, leading to them not choosing or opting out of STEM fields.
The study has investigated the socio-cognitive effects of gender stereotypes in the linguistic landscape of twelve higher education institutions in Bihar and Jharkhand, and its impact on the balance of opportunities for women.
The findings of the study underscore the need for ongoing efforts to challenge and dismantle gender stereotypes in educational and professional settings. By understanding and confronting these biases, educators, policymakers, and society at large can contribute to creating a more equitable and diverse environment in institutes of higher education and beyond, the study suggests.
Patna: The age-old gender stereotypes still cast a profound impact on career choices for women in the higher education institutions of Bihar and Jharkhand, according to a recent study conducted at the Indian Institute of Technology Patna (IIT-P).
The study conducted by Sweta Sinha and her team at the department of humanities and social sciences at IIT-P clearly indicates how despite the so-called women's empowerment gender stereotyping affects employment by limiting their career choices.
Debraj Gogoi, Dheeraj Kumar and Indrajeet Jyoti of IIT Patna are the other members of the study team.
The study sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and published in the recent edition of a journal "Language in India" reveals that technical professions are typically viewed as masculine and thus preferred by male students, whereas female students are more inclined toward roles like teaching and nursing.
The study further indicates that educational premises expose students to their expected social roles, thus profoundly impacting nascent cognitive minds in their formative years. Consequently, professions viewed as real-world are often seen as masculine, making them more favoured by males, while social and artistic roles are traditionally associated with femininity and are thus preferred by females. While growing up, male children are allowed to engage in mechanical, scientific, and technical activities compared to female children.
Despite the absence of gender-based variations in academic grades, parents are more inclined to perceive science as both less captivating and more challenging for their daughters compared to their sons, the study says. Interestingly, the research findings indicate a nuanced perspective among female respondents, challenging stereotypes in their attitudes toward leadership positions and teaching roles in science and technology.
However, male respondents exhibit more stereotypical views, particularly in their skepticism regarding female teachers' suitability for science and technology streams.
The study further reveals that gender discrimination is not just encoded in language and linguistic codes but in other modes of expression like colour choices in art forms, shapes and sizes of symbols creating and contextualizing gender stereotypes in social minds.
Such stereotypes result in limited opportunities for women in the professional domains, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Such prevailing stereotypes not only limit professional prospects for women but also condition them into self-doubt owing to the 'normalization' of such a discriminatory mindset as a social reality. Such conditioning results from consistent exposure to subtle social cues and practices that impact their cognition, leading to them not choosing or opting out of STEM fields.
The study has investigated the socio-cognitive effects of gender stereotypes in the linguistic landscape of twelve higher education institutions in Bihar and Jharkhand, and its impact on the balance of opportunities for women.
The findings of the study underscore the need for ongoing efforts to challenge and dismantle gender stereotypes in educational and professional settings. By understanding and confronting these biases, educators, policymakers, and society at large can contribute to creating a more equitable and diverse environment in institutes of higher education and beyond, the study suggests.
