Breaking Barriers: Empowering the Next Generation of Women Engineers

For decades, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been the gold standard of technical excellence. Yet, even in 2025, female enrolment in B.Tech programs remains stagnant at approximately 20%. While the introduction of supernumerary seats was a vital step, research shows that admission is only half the battle.

Girls in India face a unique set of “invisible” barriers that prevent them from even reaching the gates of an IIT Bombay:

– The Coaching Gap: High-intensity JEE coaching is often located far from home. Families are statistically less likely to send daughters to residential coaching hubs due to safety concerns and high costs.

– The “Safety” Compromise: Many top-ranking female candidates bypass prestigious IITs in favour of local colleges, opting for geographic proximity over academic potential to satisfy family concerns.

– The Psychological Burden: Deep-seated cultural myths—such as the “Math-Gender Gap”—and a lack of visible female role models create a confidence gap that discourages girls from pursuing core engineering disciplines.

– The Financial Hurdle: In many households, the “return on investment” for a daughter’s elite technical education is scrutinized more heavily than for a son’s, making tuition fees a decisive deterrent.

A New Initiative for Change

We believe talent should never be constrained by cost. While we recognize that tuition is only one piece of a larger puzzle, we are taking a definitive first step to reduce the weight of the barriers that hold back the next generation of women engineers.

By removing the financial weight of an IIT education, we do more than just pay a bill—we change the conversation at the dinner table. A full tuition waiver:

– Incentivizes Families: It shifts the decision from a financial risk to an undeniable opportunity, encouraging parents to support their daughters’ ambitions regardless of distance.

– Levels the Playing Field: It allows girls from rural and underprivileged backgrounds to dream as big as their urban counterparts.

– Builds a Pipeline: Financial freedom allows these women to focus on innovation, research, and leadership, creating a new generation of role models who will inspire the girls following in their footsteps.

A Call to Our Alumni: Join the Effort

You know better than anyone the power of an IIT degree. It changed your life, your career, and your perspective. Now, we are asking you to help us ensure that the future of technology in India is inclusive.

The “WINGS” (Women INspiring Growth in STEM) initiative—anchored by Distinguished Alumnus Mr. Bharat Desai and his wife Ms. Neerja Sethi—is more than a scholarship; it is a movement. But to make this sustainable and for every deserving girl, we need the strength of our global alumni network.

How you can help:

–  Sponsor a Scholar: Cover the tuition of a female student for her four-year journey.

Let’s ensure the next great innovation from an IIT Bombay isn’t limited by circumstance but fuelled by potential.

Together, we are not just funding education; we are engineering equality.