Gals go Electronic, guys Mechanical

CHENNAI: Do engineering subjects have a gender bias? Yes, would be the more probable answer if the trend in engineering admissions at Anna University, Chennai is anything to go by. Electronics and Communication Engineering, as usual, is emerging as the favorite subject among girls while the boys preferred Mechanical Engineering and related subjects, according to admission statistics.Two weeks after the Tamil Nadu Engineering Counseling began, close to 5,500 girls opted for Electronics and Communication while only 2,500 boys chose the same subject. Computer Science Engineering and Information Technology were the other favorite subjects among girls. Close to 3,500 girls chose computer science compared to 1,500 boys and nearly 2,000 girls chose IT compared to 900 boys.Meanwhile, boys were queuing up for Mechanical Engineering and related subjects, like Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering. Only 44 girls have chosen Mechanical Engineering out of the 5,570 seats allotted. And, out of the 272 seats allotted in Automobile Engineering, only 2 girls have taken the stream."Girls usually consider Mechanical Engineering to be a 'boys' subject' as it has a lot to do with learning about machines," says R S Ayushi, who opted for the stream in a city based college. "I found machines and mechanics interesting since childhood, which is why I chose this subject. But I had trouble convincing my friends to take up the same," she says."Electronics Communication or Computer Science will ensure a corporate job and a lifestyle that girls prefer rather than working in harsh environments with machines or aircraft or automobiles," says Jayesh Mukundan, an HR Consultant with a leading IT firm in the city. "Women find the IT work atmosphere more comfortable while the men prefer some adventure. This is the trend largely observed in most parts of India." But contrary to popular belief, Jayesh says that mechanical engineers these days do not deal with harsh environments as the field has more or less become similar to the IT sector. "Put simply, you work with software sitting inside an air conditioned office much like in IT."Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering were the gender neutral subjects with both boys and girls opting for them in more or less same numbers. Unlike last year when it was first introduced, engineering courses in Tamil medium also seemed to have got a head start with more students choosing it in the first two weeks of counseling, which implies that students with high marks are opting for courses in Tamil.