Traditional engineering areas still have dearth of women-BCT Digital

Jaya Vaidhyanathan: More women are joining engineering colleges; however, we continue to attract them towards the software engineering arena. The other traditional engineering areas such as mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering, civil engineering, etc., still have a dearth of women. These imbalances are slightly changing in the areas such as in civil and mechanical engineering due to the transformation from ‘On the Job’ activity to using tools and systems that are automated. The entire perception can change only when we notice the numbers balance in all fields of engineering.

DQ: What are your thoughts on diversity in the technology industry?

Jaya Vaidhyanathan: The technology industry has been responsible for an increasing number of women entering the field not just in technology but in other areas that use technology as enablers. In the technology industry, however, a 50-50 diversity ratio is yet a pipedream and we have miles to go before we sleep. In order to accomplish this, we will need a sustained momentum to keep women in the workforce through their entire career from entry-level to the board level. This will call for focused efforts and interventions at multiple levels from corporates to governmental interventions.