Women have been steadily rising in power in India’s defence research sector. From the most prominent Agni missile project to manning human resources, women have surged ahead in a sector that was dominated for long by men.

If Tessy Thomas shot to popularity as the ‘Agni Putri’, or Missile Woman, after the successful launch of the long distance Agni-4 missile in 2011, nearly a dozen women today drive projects — from those of strategic importance to taking care of planning and coordination — at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Beginning in 2010, when Shashi Bala Singh became the first woman to be appointed director of a major national defence laboratory — Defence Institute for Physiology and Applied Sciences (DIPAS) — women have silently and successfully grabbed key positions in the defence sector.

At present, four Director General (a dozen in DRDO), five directors of laboratories (network of more than 52 labs) and a couple of project director positions are held by women, according to information available.

Hi Sonali Shinde. Thanks for contacting Careers360 and we hope we will be able to answer your query.

Note that there is no discrimination in all these reputed organisations keeping in mind that India is progressing slowly towards creating a gender-equal workforce environment. So, I wouldn't expect you to talk like this.

I would like to direct your attention to these articles for more clarity on this important issue:

• https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/ISRO-DRDO-BARC-DAE-How-to-work-here
• https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-get-into-DRDO-ISRO-BARC-view-details

Hope these links help you to make a wise decision. All the very best!