CII Indian Women Network launches its new initiative to promote WomenInSTEM at Mumbai.
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, June 26, 2024: CII Indian Women Network today launched its new initiative to promote WomenInSTEM at Mumbai.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the launch of CII WR IWN : Women in STEM SPARK initiative, Dr. Chandrika Kaushik, Outstanding Scientist & Director General: Production Coordination & Services Interaction (PC & SI ) stated that the “If India has to be the third largest economy of the world, it has to have at least 30-50% of its women population as a part of its workforce”. There is a need for systemic change, curated interventions, target-based awareness on the issue, and most importantly, a body that records / collects nation-wide, details report on women in the STEM community, women in different streams with the STEM community, and women in research, and women in academics. She also mentioned in her address that “The Indian Government, under the Department of Science and Technology, has recently launched GATI – Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions which focuses on gender data at an institutional level. she further said that. Dr Kaushik also spoke about the importance of gender diversity to promote the women participation in the workforce of the country. Government is taking numerous steps to increase the women participation in the workforce and promoting policies that encourage flexible work schedules. We must take steps to ensure that women in the workforce feels confident. Societal and family pressure and lack of support from the extended family and pressure to priotise family over career is still is a barrier for the women to enter the workforce. It is easier for women to balance their work-life balance in an academic system. Within the institutions there should be child care facilities, working hours options for women and we must bring out suscess stories from ground level and publish them that will encourage women partipation. Dr Kaushik highlighted the importance to encourage media to spotlight successful women in STEM and showcasing their achievements in mass media. She also pointed out the key role of Private sector in promting diversity and inclusion in their companies.
Dr Kaushik stressed upon that “With organizations like CII and the Indian Women Network, we are trying to leverage this connect to get data, to learn success stories, to learn best practises, and to create a movement that will ultimately lead to an increase women’s participation in the STEM community. I would like to congratulate CII and the Indian Women Network on initiating a high-impact program such as the Women in STEM initiative. In the near future, I hope to see a lot of transformative changes though this initiative.
The CII Western Region Indian Women Network's SPARK program is dedicated to empowering women and girls in STEM through four strategic pillars. The first pillar, "Generating Interest in STEM: Road to School Initiative," focuses on early intervention by engaging girls in primary and secondary education with interactive learning and role models to break stereotypes and inspire interest in STEM. The second pillar, "Nurturing Girls and Women in STEM: Financial Support," provides scholarships, grants, and innovative financial aids to remove economic barriers, encouraging women to pursue and succeed in STEM fields. The third pillar addresses the "leaky pipeline" issue by facilitating job placements for women in STEM through mentorship, flexible work arrangements, and unconscious bias training, thereby bridging the gap between education and employment. Lastly, the fourth pillar, "Retaining Women in STEM: A Handbook for Inclusive Workplaces," aims to support women in sustaining their STEM careers by offering actionable insights and best practices for creating gender-inclusive workplaces, particularly for MSMEs and startups. Together, these pillars aim to close the gender gap in STEM, fostering a more diverse and innovative future.
Dr Praveer Sinha, Immediate Past Chairman, CII Western Region in his address at the launch of CII WR IWN: Women in STEM SPARK initiative, said that “The presence of women in remote job locations has significantly increased, breaking previous barriers. More women are entering engineering and accepting on-field roles. He further said that “Initiatives such as SPARK will have a great impact in empowering women in all spheres of professional life”
Ms Anjali Pandey, Chairperson. CII WR IWN & COO, Cummins India while addressing the inaugural session of CII WR IWN: Women in STEM said that “Barriers and impacts advance in every stage, but their impacts are felt retrospectively. Bridging the gender gap could expand India’s GDP. Societal Pressures, Missed Opportunities, Gender Pay Parity, and in general – a Smaller Talent Pool, making it difficult for companies to find qualified candidates. Looking at this phenomenon, the CII WR Indian Women Network has a solution – The SPARK initiative is a high-impact program to train, upskill and recruit girls and women in the STEM fields. Ms Pandey also pointed out that to achieve this mammoth task of bringing about a change in the mindset and achieving our goal of increasing the participation of women in the STEM community”. Ms Pandey highlighted that how the” Objectives of the SPARK initiative can be achieved through the Road to School-Primary Secondary and HEIs, providing scholarships and financial support, enhancing placement cells in order to diversify the the STEM talent and handbook-approach building STEM talent in organisations”.
Ms Madhavi Lal, Past Chairperson, CII WR Indian Women Network and Managing Director, Head - HR, India, Deutsche Bank in her address said that “Diversity and Inclusion is high up on CII’s agenda. The Indian Women Network (IWN) is one such initiative which offers a platform to career women to progress their journeys. The Indian industry stands to benefit significantly from having more women in STEM for several compelling reasons - to drive innovation, address skill shortages, meet industry demands, foster inclusivity, and promote economic empowerment.
