South Asia as a region performs the most poorly on the gender gap when compared with other regions around the world—having closed only 62.4% of its gender gap in 2022. Women are not just underrepresented in the political sphere in South Asian countries, they are also largely absent from leadership roles among key ministries dealing with Science and Technology. A leaky pipeline phenomenon is visible in most parts of the region, as women start dropping out (leak out) of the potential STEM workforce.