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On paper, no student in India is better positioned to excel in life than the national toppers of Board exams. But even within this group, there are gender differences.
For the 2nd part of our deep dive ('Tracking India's Toppers), we focus on the women toppers
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For the 2nd part of our deep dive ('Tracking India's Toppers), we focus on the women toppers
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These women may not have shattered the glass ceiling at their workplace yet but, they are well on their way there. And yet, as our four-month investigation of 86 national school Board toppers — 51 men and 35 women — from 1996 to 2015 shows, their gender does matter.
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For instance, among these men and women who performed equally well in school, women seemed less likely than their male counterparts to pursue an advanced research degree.
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While there is little difference at the PG level — similar proportion of men (45%) & women (43%) toppers having either finished or pursuing a Master’s degree — there is a gap at research level.
Only 1/5th of women toppers have opted for PhD as compared to 1/3rd of men.
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Only 1/5th of women toppers have opted for PhD as compared to 1/3rd of men.
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Sohini Chaprala, 30, the 2008 Class12 CBSE topper, is Research Manager at Innovations for Poverty Action in Dhaka.
After MSc Economics from IIT-K, Chaparala was considering a PhD or another Master’s degree in public policy/admin but, she says, life had other plans.
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After MSc Economics from IIT-K, Chaparala was considering a PhD or another Master’s degree in public policy/admin but, she says, life had other plans.
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On the face of it, women toppers also seem averse to moving abroad for higher ed or professional opportunities.
Just 40% (14 out of 35) of women toppers are studying/working abroad but for men, that ratio is 63%.
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Just 40% (14 out of 35) of women toppers are studying/working abroad but for men, that ratio is 63%.
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According to Poonam Batra, Professor of Education at DU, this finding is based on a small sample of women toppers and should not lead to sweeping generalisations.
But she acknowledges a “gender lens” is important to understand such trends.
But she acknowledges a “gender lens” is important to understand such trends.
The gender gap in STEM has been narrowing of late, but the chasm is still way too large and is reflected at the apex, too, despite most of the national toppers being from the Science stream.
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7 of 10 male toppers have studied engg as their UG degree. Among women, that number was only a third, with another quarter going for BCom or management.
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This under-representation in STEM UG programmes mirrors the broader trend of women being missing in STEM jobs, which are among the higher paying jobs in today’s economy.
Less than 1/5th of the employed women toppers are in STEM sector; among men, close to 2/5th are in STEM jobs.
Less than 1/5th of the employed women toppers are in STEM sector; among men, close to 2/5th are in STEM jobs.
To be sure, the professional achievements of women are impressive -- 22 of 35 are employed.
Among them is Chaitra Chandrasekhar, 38, who aced the Class 10 ICSE exam in 1998 from Sophia High School in Bangalore, and is a partner at consulting firm Oliver Wyman in New York.
Among them is Chaitra Chandrasekhar, 38, who aced the Class 10 ICSE exam in 1998 from Sophia High School in Bangalore, and is a partner at consulting firm Oliver Wyman in New York.
** Jerene Mathews (31), the 2006 Class 12 CBSE topper from a KV in Kottayam, is a doctor of paediatric dermatology in Thiruvalla.
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Despite their achievements, many women toppers admitted to facing obstacles in the form of socio-cultural barriers & family obligations — even if this wasn’t always in the form of family pressure. Some say they reconfigured their careers to fulfill traditional roles.
Of the 45 male toppers who responded to this newspaper’s questionnaire, none spoke of being affected by anticipated or actual need to balance academics/career and family.
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In contrast, among the 35 women toppers — many of them spoke of facing hurdles on condition of anonymity — is one in her twenties, who tailored her work life around her family
Yet, there are many others who struggled with social expectations
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This is the second part of @IndianExpress deep-dive: Tracking India's Toppers
Link to the full report: https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/board-toppers-gender-gap-career-growth-for-women-express-investigation-7122606/
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Link to the full report: https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/board-toppers-gender-gap-career-growth-for-women-express-investigation-7122606/
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We launched the series yesterday. Here's the link to the Part 1: https://twitter.com/KhurafatiChopra/status/1343043645306355712?s=20
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We'll be back tomorrow with the final part of our investigation:
Ranks give head start but may be deceptive indicators, say toppers
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Ranks give head start but may be deceptive indicators, say toppers
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FIN.
