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Gender, Skilled Migration and IT: A comparison of Indian and the UK

About

This ESRC funded project ran from 2016-2018. Through collaboration with NASSCOM, this project sought to develop new perspectives on how to address the low numbers of women in the UK Information Technology (IT) sector, by examining how India attracts and maintains a high representation of women in its IT sector. There have been many attempts to improve women’s participation in the IT industry in the UK but they have had limited and variable success. However, gender equity in IT is an important target globally as there is increasing concern over falling entry and retention levels of women in IT, and in the STEM-subject professions more generally. India’s comparatively high rates of entry and retention are a globally-significant exception.

Team

UK Collaborators

Prof Parvati Raghuram

Parvati Raghuram is a Professor in Geography and Migration at The Open University, UK. She has published widely on re-theorising migration of international students and skilled migrants, particularly women in the information technology (IT) sector and medicine. She has written for policy audiences having co-authored research papers for a number of think-thanks and international organisations.

Prof Clem Herman

Professor Clem Herman is a Professor within the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The focus of her research to date has been to bring a critical gender analysis to the experiences of women who return after taking a career break to work in STEM related fields and in particular the locations, both temporal and spatial, in which their identities as scientists, engineers and technologists are developed, nurtured, curtailed or rekindled. She has published widely on the employability and careers of women returners and in particular the impact of career breaks for women in engineering and technology companies.

Dr Gunjan Sondhi

Gunjan Sondhi is a lecturer in Geography at the Open University, with prior postdoctoral experience in leading universities in Canada, Singapore and the UK. Her research interests focus on the interplay between gender, work, education and migration/mobility with an emphasis on international student and highly skilled mobility. This work has stretched across South and Southeast Asia, North America and the UK/EU. Gunjan has contributed to international level policy dialogues in relation to international student and skilled migration.

Dr Esther Ruiz Ben

Research Associate

Outputs

Several industry-facing and academic publications have emerged from the project. Outputs can be accessed from the Gunjan Sondhi's website.