With April 4 celebrated as Women in Tech Day worldwide, we asked technology consultant and author Falguni Desai to share her views on how Indian women are navigating STEM professions.
Based in Mumbai, Desai has over two decades of experience in IT leadership, and has led several digital transformation initiatives. She specialises in IT strategy, project execution and mentoring startups in their tech journeys.
Beyond her professional life, she is a firm believer in mentorship and knowledge-sharing, encouraging the next generation to embrace careers in emerging fields. She recently co-authored Sheroes Amongst Us, an anthology of 32 stories of exceptional women from around India.
She tell us what women can bring to the table in technology industries, particularly the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector. Daughter of a pathologist father and school principal mother in Gujarat, she also shares the role played by her progressive-minded family in helping her develop into a successful tech professional.
eShe: Women in technology are still a minority in India – both in educational institutions and in corporate workforces. What are the systemic changes needed to encourage more girls to study technology and more women to work in STEM fields?
Falguni Desai: Women in technology are still a minority in India, not because of a lack of talent, but because of deep-rooted biases and systemic challenges that discourage them from pursuing STEM.
From an early age, girls are not actively encouraged to explore careers in technology; STEM fields are still seen as male-dominated, and there are few visible role models for young girls to look up to.
To change this, we need to start early – schools should actively promote STEM for girls, introduce mentorship programmes, and highlight success stories of women in technology. Parents and educators play a crucial role in breaking stereotypes and fostering confidence in young girls to see STEM as a viable and exciting career option.
Even when women enter the tech workforce, the struggle doesn’t end. Many drop out mid-career due to rigid work environments, lack of flexibility, and limited leadership opportunities.
Companies need to create cultures that support long-term career growth for women – this includes better parental leave policies, flexible work arrangements, and structured mentorship programs that help women transition into leadership.
More importantly, we need a cultural shift – families, workplaces and society must stop seeing a woman’s career as optional. Women don’t need to prove that they belong in tech – they should be expected to be there. The more we normalise women in STEM, the less it will feel like an exception.
What are the skills and strengths that women can bring to technology teams especially now that AI is the buzzword?
Women bring a unique blend of emotional intelligence, collaborative spirit and ethical sensitivity to technology teams – qualities that are especially critical as AI becomes more pervasive. With AI, bias and ethical considerations are front and centre, and women’s natural aptitude for empathy and holistic thinking can help ensure that these systems are designed to serve everyone fairly.
Their ability to understand complex human behaviours, listen to diverse perspectives and translate real-world problems into technological solutions leads to innovations that are both effective and responsible.
By continuously adapting, learning, and working collaboratively, women help create teams that are resilient and capable of navigating rapid changes. Ultimately, the strengths women bring – ranging from attention to detail and adaptability to visionary leadership – make them invaluable in driving forward not only technological innovation but also a more inclusive and ethical approach to AI.
How are Indian women specifically placed to take on the huge changes in AI and media tech worldwide? What are the challenges and opportunities for us?
Indian women have always been adaptable and resourceful, which makes them well-suited to thrive in AI and media technology. With India being a growing hub for AI talent, more women are entering fields like machine learning, data science and digital content creation.
The increasing availability of online education and remote work has also opened doors, allowing women to build careers without having to relocate or compromise on other responsibilities. Our diverse cultural understanding also gives us a unique edge in shaping AI and media solutions that are more inclusive and globally relevant.
The opportunity is there, but it requires women to take bold steps – to upskill, take leadership roles, and actively contribute to shaping the future of these industries.
However, challenges remain. Women in AI and media tech still struggle with limited representation in leadership, and many drop out mid-career due to societal expectations and family responsibilities. Even though the industry is evolving, biases still exist, and opportunities for mentorship, funding and high-visibility roles don’t come as easily.
We often hear that women need to prove themselves more than men to be taken seriously, and that mindset needs to change. The key is to create an ecosystem where women don’t just participate but lead – where their expertise is recognised without hesitation, and where organisations actively support their growth.
The future of AI and media tech is being shaped now, and if more Indian women step up and claim their space, they will not just be contributors, but decision-makers in how this industry evolves.
In your book, you mentioned that career options were limited to teaching or accounting in your Gujarati family. But in fact, the urban female labour force participation rate in Gujarat is one of the lowest in India – only one in four working-age Gujarati women actually work outside the home. So, your family was among the minority! Was this progressive mindset due to your mother working? What were the family values that encouraged you to take up technology and to excel in it?
We come from a low-income Gujarati family, where both my parents worked because financial stability was always a challenge. In fact, in our community, even most of the men, were teachers. But my father broke that norm by becoming the first pathologist in the family, and my mother, as a principal in a Gujarati-medium school, ensured that we had better opportunities.
She made a conscious decision to educate us in English and encouraged us to explore different career paths. Unlike many families where teaching was the default option for women, she never restricted me to that – instead, she instilled in me the values of dedication, hard work and the belief that we could aim for more.
That belief gave me the courage to chart my own path, and I became the first girl in my Desai family to enter the technical field. My choice wasn’t conventional, but my mother’s support meant that I never questioned whether it was possible.
Looking back, I realise that her progressive mindset wasn’t about pushing me toward a specific career – it was about giving me the freedom to choose. That freedom, combined with the values she instilled in me, has shaped the way I approach life and success today.
Lead image: AI-generated using Grok
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