The project aims to build a support system for young women in East India studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects in colleges — so that they can pursue their career ambitions and not drop out of their studies because of family and social pressures.
In India, 43 per cent of STEM graduates are women, yet only 14 per cent of the STEM jobs are held by women, a case of missing numbers despite such careers offering higher pay and greater prestige to women. (https://www.
In support of women STEM students, Public Affairs Section of U.S. Consulate Kolkata (PAS Kolkata) and Change Initiatives organised a series of weekly workshops for the Kolkata-based female college and university students in STEM fields between November 2018 and April 2019 as part of the Women for Women: Supporting Each Other to Build Sustainable Careers pilot project.
The workshops focused on leadership training, the exchange of ideas and created cross-cultural awareness on the stereotypes associated with women in STEM. Two key takeaways from the pilot project were the importance of female role models for women in STEM fields and peer-to-peer knowledge transfer.
Building on the success of the pilot project, a second chapter reached out to new audiences in Northeast India. Widening the Support Circle: Women in STEM built the support network among women college students of Guwahati.
The project ensured more young women studying in STEM fields are aware of female role models in STEM and understand the power of peer network groups as a sustainable and effective support system for professional growth.
Because of the pandemic, the workshops with the Guwahati students were held in the virtual mode, offering scope for flexibility in the timings of the sessions and making it possible to arrange sessions in diverse online formats.
In both Kolkata and Guwahati, the workshops were proceeded by a rigorous selection process. In the first round, the students took an aptitude tests in their colleges. Selected students took part in group discussions that were followed by a one-on-one interview.
The project reached out to women STEM students of 10 colleges of Kolkata. Around 375 students took the aptitude tests held in September-October 2018. About 75 students were selected for the group discussions and interviews. Finally 30 made the grade. They participated in the Kolkata workshops.
In Guwahati, the aptitude tests followed by the group discussions and the interviews were organised among 7 colleges in January-February 2020. Around 289 students participated in the aptitude tests, with 48 selected for the group discussions and interviews. At the end, 30 women students were selected for the workshops.