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IITs Add Over 2,000 Seats For Women, But Representation Stays Near 20%
Sentiment: NeutralHigh Priority
What Happened?
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have increased their total seat capacity to 18,826 in 2026, with female-only supernumerary seats rising by 141%. However, women's representation remains around 20%.
Key points
- IIT seat capacity increased by 13.4% since 2022.
- Female-only supernumerary seats rose from 1,567 in 2022 to 3,776 in 2026.
- In 2022, women accounted for 19.9% of total allotments; this rose to 20.22% in 2026.
- Supernumerary seats are separate from the gender-neutral pool and do not reduce male seats.
- The policy to increase women's enrolment was introduced in 2018.
Key insights
- Despite increased seats, women's participation in engineering remains a challenge.
- The growth in female-only seats indicates a commitment to gender equity in education.
- Continued monitoring of women's admission trends is essential for future policy adjustments.
Why it matters
The expansion of seats aims to improve gender representation in engineering, yet women's share remains low.
Source
Times Now
