New Delhi: Despite Delhi University taking active measures to bridge the gender gap in its education system, several aspirants continue to opt for courses through the prism masculine or feminine courses.
Till a decade ago, most courses in DU were dominated by male students. However, over the past one decade women have been making inroads into male-dominated courses.
Yet, several professors told Millennium Post that there a lot of work needs to be done to break the "glass ceiling".
Unable to figure out a course to choose, the parents of Sooso Ronra from Manipur, a DU aspirant, have advised her to pursue BSc (Hons) Zoology. They believe she would excel in the subject, as women have a natural inclination towards biology.
"Most of my cousins having a profile of nurses are doing extremely well in their respective careers abroad," Ronra said, adding that this is why she has chose biology in school.
She further said that many men in native village Ukhrul are tying the knot with nurses, as it is considered an easy ticket to western countries.
However, Ronra is still in two minds about her course preference.
Abhishek, who passed out from a government school in Shahdara, is sure that BSc (Hons) Physics is the right course for him, as it is a "hard subject".
"The course will give me a lot of respect. I don't believe there should be a divide between courses men and women choose, but the reality is different. If I take up a soft subject, my friends will make fun of me," Abhishek said.
"Now, around 25 per cent of the student population is comprised of women," said an Economics professor at Aryabhatta College, who wished to remain anonymous. She said she has seen DU evolve over the past few years, as subjects earlier dominated by men – such as Mathematics, Physics and Economics – have seen women make forays.
"I have seen my own college change. Women have certainly become bolder and are advancing into male-dominated subjects," she added.
However, the professor added, "Female students are often told to choose courses with flexible timings and a career which will give them enough time to look after children. This has also led to dwindling number of women applying for PhD courses."
"Women are discouraged to take up courses involving rigorous lab work, like Physics, and instead asked to take up Humanities subjects, which have a flexible course schedule when compared to Science courses, which have a more structured exchange of information," she further said.