IIM-Calcutta parity blow as fewer women make cut

Abstract

The admission of fewer women in Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) this year has come as a blow to the premier B-school’s attempt to strive towards gender parity in its flagship two-year MBA programme. Whereas 35% of the 2020-’22 batch were women, the ratio has dipped to 31% in the 2021-’23 batch, the same level as four years ago. The ratio of women at the institute was barely 16.6% in the 2016-’18 batch before efforts were made — in pre-interview screening and through increased weight in shortlisting — to improve the ratio to 31% in the 2017-’19 batch. The other major IIMs — IIM-Bangalore and IIM-Ahmedabad — had also posted better gender and discipline diversity that year.