IIM Rohtak Gender Diversity: Gender Diversity has been one of the most important criteria in the top business schools' admission in India. Several colleges started practising various activities to boost female participation in admission. Last year, IIT Roorkee made their application form completely free for female candidates. But recently we have noticed that the term over-diversity. IIM Rohtak admission report recently started an altogether different raze among aspirants. We will discuss all about it today in this article.
IIM Rohtak 2024 Batch Gender Diversity
In the recent admission report, which is in the news, IIM Rohtak offered admission to a total of 453 students in the general category. Out of those 453 students, only 19 are male and the rest 434 are female candidates. That is around only 4% of male students who received the admission offer and the rest 96% are female.
IIM Rohtak has been in this league for the last few years. In the admission criteria of 2024-26, the final merit/rank list consists of three components i.e. CAT, Personal Interview & Diversity. Diversity further includes Academic Diversity & Gender diversity which is assigned a total weightage of 20% in the final merit list.
Past Year Trend of IIM Rohtak Gender Diversity
The percentage of female students in the main PGP program at IIM Rohtak has gone up over the years. In 2017, it was 9%, and in 2022, it had increased to 61%.
It was 50% in 2018, 51% in 2019, 69% in both 2020 and 2021, and 61% in 2022. Later on, in the batch of 2023-25, IIM Rohtak further surpassed its record of 69% female representation. That batch represented geographic diversity along with female diversity as the batch had female representation from 24 states and UTs. Moreover, it ensured that their loans were ensured by banks within 48 hours.
IIM Rohtak has been holding interactive sessions in major cities and online seminars to encourage women students. It is also helping women get state and central government scholarships. Additionally, it is inviting eligible women candidates and their parents to visit the institute.
What does the Director of IIM Rohtak say about it?
“IIM Rohtak implemented the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative in full spirit to make the campus inclusive and diverse. We interacted with girls and their parents and conducted online seminars to encourage them to enrol in the courses and assist them in availing of various state and central government scholarships. The institute administration organised four major banks that process a large number of education loans within 24 hours of application. All these initiatives helped the institute attain excellent gender diversity among its PGP students,” says Dheeraj Sharma, director, of IIM Rohtak.
Measures taken by new IIMs for Female Candidates
- Extra points during the final merit list
- Reimbursement of travel fare
- Physical & Online awareness drives, interactive session
- Invitations to parents & their wards to the campus
- Financial assistance to women availing of various scholarships
Why do Business schools need to favour female candidates?
Business schools and companies both worry about having more gender diversity. Industries want a more diverse workforce and see the benefits of hiring more women. The major reasons are as follows:
- Recruiter's Push: Many industries in India are actively seeking more female representation in leadership roles. Corporates are demanding a more diverse workforce to improve organizational performance and work culture.
- Promoting Gender Equality: IIMs have to lead by example in promoting gender equality, helping to close the gender gap in higher education and professional sectors. This aligns with global and national commitments to gender equality, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5).
- Responding to Market Needs: The market needs more female leaders and managers to cater to diverse consumer bases. Female candidates bring unique insights into consumer behaviour and preferences, especially in female-centric markets.
- Enhancing Diversity: Diverse classrooms enhance learning experiences by bringing varied perspectives. Diversity improves innovation, creativity, and better decision-making skills.
Potential Adverse Effects of Excessive Gender Diversity
Addressing gender diversity is not just about fairness but is important for the economic, social, and intellectual vitality of business schools and the broader society. For institutions like IIMs, Working for better gender balance can lead to a more dynamic, innovative, and successful educational environment. However, if there is a skewed diversity, it can have potential adverse effects.
- Mislead from the ultimate goal: Lack of gender diversity can lead to homogenous thinking, reducing the variety of perspectives in discussions and problem-solving scenarios. Diverse teams are more innovative; a study by McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 21% more likely to outperform on profitability.
- Negative Impact on Male Enrollment and Aspirations: A female-dominated environment may deter the aspired male students from applying, affecting overall enrollment numbers.
