Women are entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields at record rates across several major economies, with new data showing female Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduate participation reaching 56 percent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), crossing 40 percent in India, and hitting a new high of 36 percent in Germany, even as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes global employment.
The figures, compiled by international student lender Prodigy Finance, come at a moment of growing unease about AI’s long-term impact on women’s careers. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), women may face higher risks of job disruption as roles in the workforce continue to evolve. The data, however, points in a different direction, suggesting that women are not retreating from technical fields but moving further into them.
In the UAE, women represent 56 percent of graduates from STEM courses at government universities, and 44.5 percent of engineering undergraduates, one of the highest rates globally. In India, the proportion of women graduating in STEM fields at the tertiary level has remained between 42 and 44 percent from 2013 to 2023, a figure higher than in advanced economies such as the United States and Germany.
Germany’s 36 percent figure represents a first for the country and reflects a broader uptick across traditional education markets. In countries with targeted policies, transparent pay structures, and strong professional networks, participation and retention among women in STEM tend to be noticeably higher.
Globally, however, women still make up only 35 percent of STEM graduates, with no meaningful progress recorded over the past decade, according to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics. In 12 out of 122 countries surveyed, at most one in four STEM graduates was female.
Within STEM itself, the AI sector is registering slow but measurable change. Women now account for approximately 22 percent of the global AI workforce, up from around 15 percent a decade ago, according to the World Economic Forum. Progress in AI specifically remains uneven, with structural barriers including application costs, visa delays, and limited financial support continuing to block entry at the final stage for many women who have already demonstrated the academic commitment to pursue technical careers.
Sonal Kapoor, Global Chief Business Officer at Prodigy Finance, said opportunity alone is insufficient without the support systems to sustain it. She called for clear pathways, removal of everyday barriers, and active encouragement to help more women step into STEM, noting that when women aim higher, the infrastructure around them does not always keep pace.
Prodigy Finance, founded in 2007, has disbursed more than 2.3 billion United States dollars in funding to over 45,000 international master’s students from more than 150 countries.
