Despite strong educational outcomes, women comprise less than 20% of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) researchers in Indian higher education institutions (HEIs). This underrepresentation transcends the ‘leaky pipeline’ metaphor, resembling instead a ‘braided river’ of intersecting barriers—sociocultural pressures, infrastructural deficits and institutional biases operating simultaneously. Through critical policy document analysis, we systematically coded 32 institutional gender policies alongside seven national frameworks. Findings reveal that while 22% explicitly address the dual burden, only 31% mandate infrastructural support. None of them address patrilocal assumptions or dual-career support, and 87.5% lack any substantive commitments. Current interventions accommodate individual women’s circumstances rather than transforming institutional structures—an approach inadequate for navigating braided complexity, where women must successfully traverse all channels simultaneously. We propose a Gender Equity Institutional Framework (GEIF) comprising 10 interconnected components: gender mainstreaming with audits and budgeting, substantive policies, transportation infrastructure, bias training, representation with power-sharing, formalised mentoring, physical and mental health infrastructure, childcare as shared responsibility, curriculum integration and leadership development. These multi-layered institutional interventions transform HEIs from passive sites mirroring societal inequalities into active agents fostering equity, inclusion and leadership among women in STEM.
Sriraam et al. (Fri,) studied this question.