The Female Future Engineers of India
In The Female Future Engineers of India, Sue Perkins travels to Patna, India, where she learns about a school helping girls become engineers. These schools, which have grown from three to 18 in just 20 years, are empowering young women to chase big dreams. While the girls share their hopes for the future, they discuss how, despite their education, their parents still have the final say in who they marry. Sue highlights how, over the past couple of decades, these women have gone from staying at home to gaining powerful skills for their careers. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Ganges with Sue Perkins, which showcases Sue’s journey along the Ganges River, exploring its cultural and spiritual significance in India.
Lesson Express
Q: How do cultural traditions affect the futures of the girls in the video, and how do they deal with those traditions?
A: In their culture, women are often expected to marry based on things like money and family connections, not love or personal choice. While the girls are learning to be engineers and are changing the way things are done, they still have to respect their parents' wishes, which shows how tough it can be to change old traditions.
Q: Why are the girls in the video so determined to become engineers, even though they face challenges?
A: The girls want to prove that women can do anything, even in a society where they’re expected to stay quiet or follow certain roles. They’re motivated to break those norms and show other women that they can have careers in fields like engineering.
Q: How does the education the girls are getting at the school help them in their future?
A: The school teaches them skills that can help them become engineers, giving them the chance to do things that were once impossible for women in their community. This education opens up new career opportunities and helps them build a more independent and successful future.
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