Author : K. Uma Rao and Anupama Prakash

India has grown economically in leaps and bounds in the last decade. Today, it is recognized as a major IT giant. The middle class has been redefined in India today. A major contribution to this has come from the women, who have stepped out of their houses and chosen professional degrees. These women, have now entered the portals of engineering domain, contributing to the growth, with their perceptions and styles. India, is one country, where the number of women in professional courses and careers, is amongst the highest in the world. However, there are still a number of challenges faced by women in engineering. This paper addresses the challenges, opportunities and policy shifts necessary to enable women to grow and reach great heights in their career, so as to play a bigger role in the growth of the nation.

Keywords: Engineering, faculty, mentor, family, scientist , recognition, balance , shop-floor, gender-bias

Article published in the Proceedings of National Conference on ‘Women in Science & Engineering’ (NCWSE 2013), SDMCET Dharwad