Women in science

A casual remark by a Nobel laureate about women in research laboratories being a distraction made at a gathering of science journalists has cost him dearly. British Nobel laureate Sir Timothy ‘Tim’ Hunt has not just been targeted with insulting hashtags and abusive tweets, but has had to face sack from influential positions he held in the academic world. While talking about women in science, Sir Tim was quoted as saying “three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them, they cry.” He claims that the comment was made in a lighter vein and was immediately followed by a serious remark about the important roles women play in science and the society — which his critics and media have chosen to ignore. In days of hyperactive social media, the comment was provocative enough to cause a storm in the scientific world and beyond. On the positive side, the sexist joke has provided the world an opportunity to examine larger issues of sexism in science, discrimination against women and the need for more women in science. 

Under-representation of women in science is a global reality. In the developed world, enrolment of women in science and engineering courses is a problem, with general interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) declining. Very few women reach top levels in laboratories or in funding agencies. In America and Europe, women constitute nearly half  of the doctorates obtained in science and engineering but just about 20 per cent of professors in these disciplines. Their number is very small in other decision-making positions. As scientific journal Nature recently observed, too many women encounter patronising attitudes or harassment at work and in academic positions. A study published by Princeton University in 2014 had reported that women make up over half of all doctoral recipients in biology-related fields but are vastly underrepresented at the faculty level in life sciences in American universities. It was also noted that male faculty members tended to employ fewer female graduate students and postdoctoral researchers than female faculty members did. 

In India, the Bangalore-based Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc) and the Department of Science of Technology (DST) have been engaged in examining the status of women in science. Traditionally, social conditioning of Indian families is such that girls are considered more suitable for ‘soft’ disciplines like home science and life sciences, as boys are for mathematics and engineering. Research, however, shows that the number of women studying science is improving in India, though their number is still smaller than men. In some universities like Goa, Kerala, Punjab and Pondicherry, nearly half of students studying science were women a few years back. The increased proportion of women in science at the post-graduate level is noteworthy and this trend is different from that seen in developed countries. It may partly be due to the trend of boys opting for so-called job-oriented disciplines like engineering, computer science, management after graduation, while girls stick to disciplines like life sciences. It has also emerged that studying science is mostly a privilege of urban women from upper castes and those from financially sound and education-oriented families. 

However, the number of women tapers dramatically after post-graduation. Very few women take up doctoral studies and research, dropping out after post graduation or PhD. As a result, women constitute just 15.6 per cent of total manpower employed in R&D establishment and 12.7 per cent of total personnel performing R&D activities, according to official data. Attrition after doctorate and higher studies is a national loss. These women may be ending up in other professions or may just be homemakers or taking up jobs that allow them to balance their careers and household responsibilities. The government must design policies that allow women to resume their research career after a break or allow them conducive working hours, whenever needed.  The number of women who reach the level of director of a research laboratory or head of funding agency is miniscule. Academic achievements of women are not fully recognised by science academies, as reflected in the small number of women Fellows even in disciplines which have a good number of women scientists.

The small number of women in science and engineering — in colleges as well as in research labs — face gender-related discrimination similar to other fields. Surveys and group discussion sponsored by IASc have revealed problems of women scientists such as non-cooperative male colleagues, gender discrimination in rules and practices and lack of facilities. Many women felt that they are denied opportunity to attend conferences, receive travel fellowships — opportunities that would give greater visibility to their work. Some students confided that their energy is spent in ensuring personal safety while in the lab. Sexual overtures and sexually tainted remarks are commonly experienced. At the time when the survey was conducted, women scientists had reported that very few institutions had grievance redressal cells and victims of harassments often had to face further trouble if the offender happened to be a senior person. The recent case of a PhD scholar from Delhi’s St Stephen’s College shows that the situation has not changed.

We need more women in science at all levels, not just at high school and graduation levels. Women in different spheres of scientific research can bring in a different perspective and approach to problems concerning half of the population. In addition, they can bring the much needed human touch to science and engineering research. While a sizeable number of women scientists are engaged in life sciences research, why is that all contraception-related research is directed at placing the burden of birth control on women? Despite women sharing major burden of labour in the agriculture sector, most agricultural implements and new technologies are designed to be operated by men. Development of appropriate drinking water and sanitation technologies — lack of which affects women more than men — would perhaps have progressed much faster if we had more women engaged in solving these problems and more women policymakers to push them. The women grass roots innovators emerging from the work of Ahmedabad-based National Innovation Foundation demonstrate that even uneducated women have a better grasp of their day- to-day problems and are capable of developing solutions to such problems.

The author is Fellow, Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi