Industrial Economist (IE): What does women empowerment mean to you?
Saraniya Periaswamy (SP): In my perspective, women empowerment is about giving equal opportunities, putting forth our perspectives in the same spaces as men and being considered equal. Be it decision-making or subject matters, women should be considered a part of the team or committee.
IE: How does working in a zero-failure environment shape your confidence?
Uma Maheshwari (UM): My confidence grows when my team trusts my judgment. In propulsion testing, there is no room for error, so every decision demands clarity and conviction. Making critical calls under pressure sharpens my thinking. The responsibility and accountability that come with the role continually strengthen my self-belief and professional confidence.
IE: What can be done to bring more women into STEM?
UM: It begins with visibility. Many women hesitate to enter STEM simply because they are unaware of the diverse opportunities available. During my graduation, I only heard about ISRO and how difficult it was to enter, not about emerging aerospace startups like Agnikul Cosmos. Even within aerospace, there are multiple career paths that students rarely explore. Greater awareness about varied streams, startups and evolving industries can help students, especially women make informed choices and confidently pursue unconventional STEM careers.
IE: How supportive is the deeptech ecosystem f o r women?
SP: Deep tech ventures consume a lot of time and sometimes demand late night shifts as well. Family support is extremely important and the encouragement from my family made my career easy. Also, I can connect it with the role of men in helping women in the deep tech workforce. My husband supported me throughout. At the workplace, too, our founders created opportunities without bias. A healthy work culture with focus on potential rather than gender enable women to grow with confidence.
IE: What were some barriers that you faced in this journey?
UM: Starting from college, many people advised me not to choose aeronautical engineering because they believed opportunities were less and career would be uncertain. Crossing these opinions were a huge task. The job also has a lot challenges like long working hours, testing days will demand night shift and the commute after work was a major concern. Answering the questions about why women should work late, required a lot of energy and attracted a lot of attention outside as well. Fortunately, now my team is supportive, which actually makes a big difference.
IE: Your advice to young women.
SP and UM: Believe in yourself that you can do anything and do not shy away from opportunities. Do not let other’s opinion hold you back. Follow your ambitions and explore all the opportunities and the possibilities. No matter which field you choose, resilience is essential to build your career.