Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the driving forces that inspire female students in India to enrol in higher education programmes related to Agriculture, as well as their career aspirations upon graduation. Design/Methodology/Approach: An online survey was undertaken to collect information and ultimately included a sample of 9914 female students representing 62 Agriculture universities across India. The data, comprising both primary and secondary sources, underwent thorough processing and analysis utilizing scaling techniques & statistical software. Findings: The field of Agriculture emerged as the most favoured choice, followed by Veterinary Science and Horticulture. The primary driving factors identified were gender empowerment and personal empowerment, closely followed by career aspirations and preferences. Students in disciplines such as Dairy Technology, Food Nutrition & Dietetics, and Food Technology exhibited higher preference scores for pursuing academic endeavours in Agriculture. The majority expressed a desire to work in the private sector while a significant portion expressed interest in preparing for competitive exams. Practical Implications: This study highlights the need for targeted policies that address the economic and social barriers faced by women in accessing agricultural education. Such policies could include providing scholarships specifically for women, improving institutional support, and enhancing outreach programmes to raise awareness about opportunities in agricultural education for women. Theoretical Implications: Agricultural Higher Education institutions attract a greater number of female students in agriculture as majors. Originality/Value: This pioneering study in India holds the primary objective of probing deeply into the factors behind the increasing preference of female students for agricultural education.
Published Version
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