The rise of women in IIM-Kozhikode

In a first for any IIM, more than half of the Class of 2015 at Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode (IIM-K) will have more women than men.

Of the 361 students admitted this year, 54.29% (196 students) are women, mentioned the institute. Last year, only 28% of students in IIM-K's last year batch were women. In other IIMs too, the percentage of women taking admission has gone up considerably.

Institute	Percentage of women taking admission (2013-15)
IIM Ahmedabad	20.8%,
IIM Bangalore	26.8%
IIM Calcutta	23.2%
IIM Kozhikode	54.29%

This time, admission criteria in various top IIMs were tweaked in favour of gender inequality.

IIM-K gave 5 extra points to a woman candidate for an interview call, after which all candidates were admitted on merit. Similarly, IIM Calcutta, Rohtak and Udaipur awarded extra marks to women candidates. Number of women appearing in CAT has also gone up from 53,732 in 2010 to 60,876 in 2012.

IIMK director Debashis Chatterjee said, "We at IIM-Kozhikode aspire to create a unique academic space that will challenge convention. This year we have not only led in ensuring gender diversity but have also admitted national talent from the field of sports, music, martial arts and the social sector. Our goal is to churn out not just a competent manager but a well rounded and a compassionate human being. In this endeavour, the current batch of students will be our pathfinders."

 

Read more about IIMs' lack of student diversity and fewer women candidates here.