Globally, women represent 26% of the STEM students. India, however, boasts an impressive 43% of women graduating in those fields. So, why is there only a dire 14% of them eventually becoming part of the STEM workforce?

For the second iteration of #STEMTheGap initiative, we looked into the reasons leading to this unacceptable drop right after graduation and during early career.

After conducting our own research with Indian female scientists, we realised that the lack of prominent female role models and mentors was the main culprit for the issue.

There was an urgent need to shed light on the glaring absence of STEM female mentors and role models in India today. We wanted to showcase role models and build a network of mentors to inspire the next generation of Indian women to stay in their STEM careers.

The music draws on the sounds and traditions of India, evoking the cultural and historical context of the film. It also uses contemporary orchestral sounds to convey the universal themes of the struggles and triumphs of these women scientists.

Each period will has its own distinctive note, blending seamlessly into a cohesive and powerful whole. The score not only enhances the emotional impact of the visuals and dialogue, but it also aims to reveal the inner lives of the characters, highlighting moments of self-doubt, uncertainty, curiosity, and courage.

The music is a vital component of the film, adding to its depth, beauty, and emotional resonance.

The campaign has successfully raised the bar for Olay’s brand engagement, creating 270 MM PR impressions. The digital film alone, garnered 3.2M views within the first 48 hours upon launch, hit 8 million views in with 54% View-through rate on the first week of launch.

The video garnered positive reviews, inspiring many women who aspire or are currently pursuing a STEM career in India.

Till date, the digital film has achieved over 33M+ views, leading to 70,000 messages with AI-shu, and growing number of mentor/mentee sign ups via the vLookup platform. It is still continuously recruiting more users to engage with AI-SHU (the virtual mentor), keeping the momentum to increase access to STEM mentorship for all aspiring young women pursuing a career in STEM.