India needs more women scientists, but men won't allow it
The number of women earning higher degrees in scientific disciplines is fairly good, but only a few of them make it to national laboratories, universities and academic institutions as researchers.
We see even fewer women in leadership positions — directors, project leaders and principal investigators — and in the list of national awardees like the Bhatnagar prize. About 37 per cent of all PhDs in science are accounted by women, but only about 15 per cent of the faculty positions in science are held by women. Their number is too small in scientific academies as well as administrators in science.
A 2015 survey had shown that just three per cent of Indian universities had women vice-chancellors and half of them were at the helm of all-women universities. The presence of women in senior positions in the Indian Space Research Organisation and the missile project is an exception and not a trend, but it exemplifies strong leadership qualities and the ability of women engineers.
A meeting of leading women scientists and science administrators, organised by Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance last week, tried to figure out reasons behind the gender gap or gender inequality in science. It turned out the root cause of the problem is similar to what it’s in other fields — sexism, male attitude and discriminatory rules of institutions. A researcher from the Indian Institute of Science was in tears while explaining how her male seniors were denying her faculty position despite her impeccable academic record.
“One can’t imagine how strong the brotherhood among male scientist is. It helps them take all the opportunities like grants and fellowships. Women scientists are yet to develop a sisterhood of their networks,” commented a computational biologist from a CSIR lab in Delhi. Setting up an independent lab within a research institute is an uphill task for women scientists, as they are denied even basic needs such as work benches and independent rooms.
Marriage, pregnancy and childbirth cycle are major issues in the life of any women scientist. When male scientists are climbing up the academic and research ladder, women scientists have to devote time to their families. But this very responsibility is held against them.
The age limit for most faculty positions, competitive grants and awards is 35. This is when women are engaged in raising a family. “Women are most productive at work in their 40s but by then they would have missed on several opportunities,” pointed out a scientist from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.
Besides addressing measures like making labs and universities women-friendly including setting up of day care centres and implementing Vishakha guidelines to deal with sexual harassment, suggestions were made to correct gender bias in Indian science. Non-hierarchical institutional setups are friendly for women faculty.
Gender diversity in hiring should be constantly monitored. Funding agencies must ensure women are given adequate representation in funding committees and other decision-making bodies. Systematic research should be undertaken to understand gender imbalance in institutions. Women must be encouraged to take on administrative roles.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)