According to a study, it is revealed that majority of girls in India prefer to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The second edition of Mastercard Girls in Tech Research was conducted across six countries of Asia Pacific in December 2016 among 2,270 girls between the age group of 12 – 25.
The research says, besides the gender gap in India, there is greater acceptability amongst girls in choosing STEM subjects as a career choice. The research stated that only 34 per cent of girls opt for non STEM profession, there port further states parents as the key barriers for girls to choose STEM subjects. Out of all respondents in the research, 40 per cent feel that by offering more internship opportunities, educational institutions can help improve the situation by motivating girl students to choose for STEM careers.
The research report also reveals, at the age of 21, majority of STEM graduates were clear on their choice of career and decided to pursue the stream. The reason to choose STEM as a career option is high job satisfaction as 68 per cent of STEM professionals found employment in less than 6 months whereas for non-STEM graduates it takes at least a year to decide their career choice. Moreover, non-STEM professionals indicated a 33 per cent lower job satisfaction.