Thrissur: In a major boost for women empowerment initiatives in Kerala, the number of women enrolled in art and science colleges has seen a visible increase in the last few years. 

The majority number of students and teachers in arts and science colleges in Kerala are females. Out of a total of 10,493 teachers employed in Kerala, MG, Calicut and Kannur universities, 6032 are women. 2473 out of 4390 teachers qualified with a research degree are women.

In government colleges, women with research degrees have increased from 374 in 2018 to 647 in 2022. Meanwhile, there is only a marginal increase in the number of male counterparts having research degrees. In aided colleges, women teachers with research degrees increased from 1404 to 1826.

Further, 65.5 per cent of students enrolled in colleges for undergraduate courses are females. Out of 3.02 lakh undergraduate students, 1.98 lakhs are girls. 

Meanwhile, out of 44,964 postgraduate students, 29,121 are girls. 

BCom has the lowest female representation at 62.9 per cent and MCom has the highest female representation at 69.6 per cent. 

More than 60 per cent of teachers and more than 65 per cent of students are females.