Women Scientists in India

Recently, Dr N. Kalaiselvi was appointed as director of the country's main organization for research and development i.e. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, becoming the organization's first female director general (CSIR).

Statistics on women in R&D:

Growing Trend

• Over the past 20 years, women have increasingly participated in scientific research across the nation.
• Women participated in 28% more extramural R&D projects in 2018–19 than they did in 2000–01, a rise from 13% as a result of various policies adopted by succeeding governments.

A fourfold increase

• From 232 in 2000-01 to 941 in 2016-17, there were more than four times as many female main investigators in R&D.
• In terms of gender, researchers increased from 13.9% in 2015 to 18.7% in 2018.

Sector-specific evaluation

• Engineering and technology had a lower percentage of female researchers (14.5%) compared to the natural sciences and agriculture (22.5% each), and health sciences (24.5%).
• However, the proportion of female scholars in the humanities and social sciences is substantially greater, at 36.4%.
• Biotechnology (40%) and medicine (35%) have the highest percentages of female engagement.

Participation in undergraduate and graduate programs

• According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019 findings, women participated in science education at a rate of 53% at the bachelor's level and 55% at the master's level, which is comparable to rates in many developed nations.
• However, men (56% of PhD graduates) outnumbered women (44%) in this category.

Challenges

Family problems

• When they get married or have kids, women frequently leave school.
• These factors include leaving higher education early, taking a career hiatus, becoming too old for scientific positions, missing a lot of work, or even quitting.

Post-doctoral level decline

• We have shown that (women's) participation is healthy up to the graduate level. However, there is a decline at the post-doctoral level, where the majority of research is conducted.

Involvement in IITs

• In the five IITs in Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur, Chennai, and Roorkee, the participation rate for women is extremely low, ranging from 9% to 14%.

Initiatives are taken by the Government and Other organizations:

Project GATI: (Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions)

• It is modelled after the Athena Swan Charter of the UK.
• 30 academic and research institutions have been chosen by DST for the first phase of GATI, with an emphasis on the representation of women in leadership positions, faculty, and the number of female students and researchers.

SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research)

• For Indian women scientists involved in R&D activities, SERB-POWER offers structured support in the form of equal access and weighted opportunities.
• Two parts, SERB POWER Fellowships and SERB POWER Research Grants, are used to assist R&D for female scientists.

Scheme of DST: "Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN)"

• It has been established to promote female scientists through various initiatives in the field of Science and Technology (S&T)
• Innovation and Excellence in Women's Universities to Strengthen University Research (CURIE) Program.
• To increase women's engagement in the S & T field, only female universities are being supported in their efforts to build cutting-edge research facilities and infrastructure.

Indian-American Fellowship for STEMM Women (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine)

• It invites Indian women scientists and technicians to do three to six months of worldwide collaborative research at prestigious US institutions.

Vigyan Jyoti scheme

• It inspires female students in grades 9 to 12 to seek careers and studies in science and technology, especially in fields where women are underrepresented.

Excellence in Women Award

• It encourages female Academy Award winners to broaden their fields of study.
• Program for Biotechnology Career Advancement and Reorientation (BioCARe) to support female scientists in biotechnology research.

National Science Woman Award

• A special honour known as the "National Award for Woman Scientist" is given to one woman scientist each year on Foundation Day in order to acknowledge the contributions made by women scientists in the field of Earth System Sciences.

Program Women Entrepreneur's Quest (WEQ)

• It was started by DST in collaboration with the USA's Anita Borg Institute to identify and support female entrepreneurs in the technology sector.

Foundation for Women's Entrepreneurship and Empowerment (WEE)

• IIT Delhi's project to develop the women's ecosystem is the first of its type in India, and it is backed and sponsored by DST.

Way forward

Governmental initiatives and evolution

• The increase in women's engagement, particularly in research, is the result of both government initiatives and organic development.
• By 2030, it wants to see 30% more women working in science and technology.

Childcare services

• There are no creche facilities in the residential communities where the female scientists live, which has expanded the participation of women in many CSIR labs.

Perspectives on girls

• Girls are now encouraged more by parents to pursue science careers, which is another change in parental attitudes.

Growing application of AI in the sciences

• The number of women working in science and technology is expected to increase dramatically over the next five to six years as more advanced tools for remote work—like easy access to the internet—are used by women.

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