Choosing engineering education: understanding the motives of Indian young women-a narrative inquiry

Abstract

Young women in India are now seen choosing engineering education in the institutes of national importance, marking the beginning of inclusivity. With the aim of sustaining this positive momentum, this study explores the experiences of young women which led them into engineering education. Polkinghorne’s Two kinds of analysis–‘Analysis of narratives’ and ‘Narrative analysis’ are adopted to understand the narratives. The study revealed a nuanced understanding of their motives and triggers. The stories of nine students are shared under two narrative types–‘Engineer by choice’ and ‘Engineer by chance’. ‘Engineer by choice’ captures the narratives of those women who employed their agentic self in realizing their dream, while ‘engineer by chance’ captures the stories of those women who used engineering education as a fallback option when their dreams did not materialize. McAdam’s Narrative identity theory and Gotfredson’s theory of circumscription and compromise are used in analysis to understand the nature of contextual support needed in the growing years. Interventions at the school level by career counselling cells are proposed. Exposure to potential careers, awareness of favourable policies in organizations, and conduct of workshops with opportunities to solve real-life challenges, are proposed to create favourable disposition towards engineering among girls. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.