Over and above: On the All India Survey on Higher Education data

With more Indian women entering university campuses, the gender gap in college classrooms has narrowed. The latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) data for 2023-24 reveal that absolute female enrolment rose by 42% over the past decade, climbing from 1.57 crore in 2014-15 to 2.24 crore. In comparison, male enrolment grew from 1.85 crore to 2.26 crore during the same period. Women have comfortably surpassed the male growth rate of 22.16%, pushing total higher education enrolment to a record 4.5 crore. They now account for nearly half (49.7%) of all students in Indian universities and colleges. With a Gender Parity Index of 1.08, 108 young women now enter higher education for every 100 men. This marks a hard-won victory, especially for marginalised communities, where female enrolment among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes rose by 51.4% and 75.7%, respectively. Yet, a deeper look at the data demands caution. High enrolment numbers are a superficial veneer if the pipeline of employment opportunities beyond the college gate remains broken. While women make up 44% of STEM students, this number is heavily skewed toward the “S” (general sciences such as biology and chemistry), where they hold a 54.6% majority. In contrast, engineering and technology remain male-dominated, with women making up just 31.1% of enrolment. By clustering in traditional sciences, women are isolated from the future-proof economic drivers of artificial intelligence and software engineering.

Educational institutions remain largely patriarchal. While the student body reflects a 50-50 split, there are only 82 female teachers for every 100 male teachers. Women remain absent from top-tier leadership roles. Further, the influx of students has coincided with an explosion of private and low-tier colleges, which face acute faculty shortages and poor infrastructure. India also faces a disconnect between higher education and the formal job market. The Female Labor Force Participation Rate remains low due to societal expectations, domestic responsibilities, and safety barriers. According to the 2025 PLFS report, men dominate the regular salaried workforce (26.5% versus 18.2%) and earn more. Average monthly earnings stand at ₹24,217 for men, compared with ₹18,353 for women. While 64.2% of women are classified as self-employed, this categorisation is vague and the statistic often includes unpaid household or farm labour, failing to show where women students go after they exit lecture halls. As 2.24 crore young women claim their place on campuses, the burden shifts to policymakers, institutional heads, and industry leaders to ensure that these women stay on in fruitful paid employment aligned with their degrees.