Girls Beat Boys To IIMs Again! Are Admission Criteria For IIMs Changing?

An official notice from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur in Chhattisgarh announced that the business school has accepted more female students into its postgraduate management program for the 2022-24 academic year than male students. As per the reports, their current academic session has 62% female students compared to 38% male students in the two-year study. This has come as alarming news for many!

As many 205 ladies have been accepted into the institute's flagship management program, compared to just 125 guys. This has marked an approximately 71% increase from the previous academic session 2021-23, where 120 girls had been admitted as against 146 boys.

Gender diversity and admission criteria at IIMs

Gender diversity is one of the most important aspects of any institution, especially when it comes to educational institutions like IIMs. The lack of gender diversity in these institutes is not only an issue but also a hindrance to the progress and development of these institutions if they don't take up necessary steps to increase their female representation at all levels.

When asked about the lopsided ratio, officials only had one explanation: engineering students make up the bulk of individuals who take and pass the common entrance test (CAT).

The number of female MBA students admitted to IIM Calcutta, Kozhikode, Indore, Lucknow, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad's elite PGP program decreased by 11% for the class of 2021-23. There were 917 fewer women in the 2020-22 class than there were in the previous year's cohort.

Reason? There was an 11% drop in the number of female students taking the CAT 2020, and the younger IIMs scrambled to boost their gender diversity, which led to an increase in the number of students taking the test for a smaller pool.

However, the gender diversity in the IIMs has started to improve as a result of more female students competing for the CAT.

In supporting action, leading MBA institutes are altering their admission policies in order to increase the diversity of their student body. More and more students from the humanities, social sciences, and business are being offered admission to IIMs.

The current batches of management programs indicate that the MBA from an IIM will no longer be exclusively a choice for engineers and male candidates.

However, the authorities at IIMs are mindful to lead the way in bringing in more women while maintaining high standards. It might take longer to see results because the purpose is not to differentiate applicants based on factors such as gender or other aspects of diversity.

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Shivangi Vatsal

Sr. Associate Content Strategist @Unstop

I am a storyteller by nature. At Unstop, I tell stories ripe with promise and inspiration, and in life, I voice out the stories of our four-legged furry friends. Providing a prospect of a good life filled with equal opportunities to students and our pawsome buddies helps me sleep better at night. And for those rainy evenings, I turn to my colors.