More women in India are embracing online education, with 44% of new learners in 2021 being women, up from 37% in 2019, according to the Women and Skills Report by Coursera. India ranks second globally with 4.8 million registered women learners on Coursera. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021 indicates a widening gender gap in India due to factors like decreased women’s labor force participation, inadequate representation in technology and leadership, and a lagging female-to-male literacy ratio.
Despite these challenges, women in India are investing in learning new skills on Coursera, especially during the difficult labor market conditions brought about by the pandemic. Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda notes that gender gaps in online learning narrowed during the pandemic, providing women with the opportunity to develop skills that can enhance their return to work and promote economic mobility.
The share of overall course enrollments from women in India increased from 26% in 2019 to 36% in 2021. In STEM courses, the gender gap narrowed from 23% in 2019 to 32% in 2021. Women’s enrollments in entry-level professional certificates from industry leaders like Google, IBM, and Facebook rose from 22% in 2019 to 30% in 2021.
Top skills among Indian women learners demonstrate a balanced investment in both human and digital skills, with STEM skills like computer programming, machine learning, probability and statistics, and theoretical computer science topping the list. The top 10 skills also include critical business and personal development skills such as communication, leadership, management, and entrepreneurship.
Mobile devices play a crucial role in enabling flexible learning, with 62% of women learners in India accessing Coursera on mobile devices, one of the highest rates globally. Other factors contributing to increased enrollment among women include the addition of practice quizzes, providing common mistakes for peer-reviewed assignments, and distributing assessments throughout a course.
