Systematic Sexism in Engineering Colleges

Colleges like Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Kalinga Institute of Information Technology (KIIT), and Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), are some of the premier engineering institutions in the country which have made a name for themselves, attracting premier government funding and sky-high placement opportunities. However, beneath this façade of excellence, lies a miasma of systematic sexism and misogyny, covering up of student suicides, and brutal enforcement of archaic value systems.

The “leaky pipeline” that exists in engineering colleges is beyond repair. We have progressed nowhere but have managed to just silver paint these pipelines without repairing them. It exists right from school and there is no disregarding that. However, the individual identity becomes more prominent during college - where students should be encouraged to think more and question. Instead, they are coerced to be dumb-driven cattle - without the freedom that most cows enjoy in India.

Casual Sexism gets perpetrated by Systematic Sexism. In other words, casual sexism is more of a daily phenomenon that women have to face from their faculty and their colleagues. Systematic sexism on the other hand is the one that is enforced officially by the college.

It starts from the pre-admission phase. Women are convinced and manipulated into opting for branches like Computer Science/IT and dissuaded from industrial engineering. The push for gender balance has eventually led to more women competing among themselves than less accomplished males.

“On the first day of our college, we attended the ‘Ethics and Values’ class, the sexes segregated on two sides of the classroom; where we were taught to limit our interaction and relationship with the other sex”,

recollects Anonymous from VIT, Vellore. A sense of fear is instilled in every individual right from the beginning. There is no way to speak out against the system - students have suffered for years and they continue to do so. The chancellors of these institutions are often more than just that- they are literally worshipped in the entire city/town. The political affiliations and connections extend far beyond college and it is practically impossible for anyone to speak against the system. Even if one manages to do so, it is more of a social war versus personal war in which naturally the former wins. The moral policing has created an atmosphere of normalised discrimination. It is an open secret.

Private engineering institutes including the likes of VIT and KIIT have bizarre and shocking differences in curfew timings. For the former, girls are not allowed to leave the campus for six months after joining college. Even when they are finally allowed to do so, they can only stay outside for a maximum of 2 hours on a single day. The ‘Anti-Romeo’ squad is also infamous for ensuring that different sexes cannot interact much between them. We as a society condemn the acts of vigilantes but send our children to institutions which promote these, willingly. The freedom of clothing is often curbed by these institutions and all of these are justified on the ground of ‘safety’. They are often shamed on their attire, upbringing and what not?

In India, the socio-cultural differences have caused discriminatory treatment more from parents than teachers. The parents back the institutions to promote these kinds of acts. This, right here, is what deprives an individual of their basic human rights. Students staying in hostels have to face tremendous pressure from their wardens when they need to go outside and do any kind of work.

All of this leads to what?

Casual Sexism. It is normalised beyond imagination. It is one of the leading causes of why fewer women want to pursue engineering in the country. Why would an individual want to live such a miserable life all over again? This is the reason why more and more women opt out after graduating.

Women coming from small towns are made to believe that this is the life that they deserve while the more privileged ones have their dreams shattered- ultimately leading both to drop out along their career ladder. So even though the institutions have tried to bridge the gender gap; they have ended up widening it. The not-so-conducive environment discourages women from working in the future. The male-female ratio in offices continues to broaden. Women are made to believe that they are inferior right from the beginning and that ultimately leads to wage discrimination with the wage gap widening. They are raised in an environment where they are not allowed to question the system and speak for themselves.

There is no progress until and unless we acknowledge this “leaky pipeline”. A lot of things need to be done, but the root cause of all is curbing freedom, and that needs to be undone first.