Context

• Despite policy measures to encourage women in science, social and institutional hurdles hinder their progress.

Global Scenario

• • According to the UN, less than 30 percent of researchers globally are women.
  • Women are further provided with fewer research funds in comparison to their male counterparts.

• Out of 959 recipients of the Nobel prizes so far, only 61 have been women.

• Countries with a fairly good ratio in terms of an equal number of female and male researchers are: South Africa and Egypt, with 45 percent female researchers each, and Cuba, at 49 percent.

Indian Context

• According to the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as of 2018, women made up only 18.7 percent of the country’s researchers.
• In India, about 43 percent of women constitute the graduate population in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine), but only 14 percent of women join academic institutions and universities. 
• Further, only 21 of the 574 recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards, which honours work by researchers in science and technology by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), were women. 

Systemic Social Gaps

• While measures to promote women in STEMM work well in principle, systemic biases act as deterrents.
• Some women give up on higher education or career due to the ingrained notion of being caregivers. 
• Lack of role models, pressures to conform to societal norms and trappings of domesticity are major obstacles.

National Initiatives

• Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) is a pilot project under the Department of Science & Technology to promote gender equity in science and technology. In the first phase of GATI, 30 educational and research institutes have been selected with a focus on women’s participation in leadership roles, faculty, etc
• Knowledge Involvement Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN)
  was launched in 2014-15, with the aim of providing career opportunities to unemployed women scientists and technologists, especially those who had a break in their career.
• The Vigyan Jyoti Scheme launched by the Department of Science & Technology is intended to create a level-playing field for meritorious girls in high school to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in their higher education.
• Women technology parks act as a single window hub for convergence of diversified technologies, leading to socio-economic development of women through capacity building and adoption of location-specific technologies.
• Women Technology Parks are being set up by the government to promote the development and adaptation of appropriate technologies, transfer of proven technologies and demonstration of live technology models to promote women’s employment. 

Way Forward

• There is a need to create a gender-neutral culture of research in institutions and industries.
• There is an immediate need to invest in supporting infrastructure and incentivize institutions to promote gender equity to bridge the persisting gender imbalance in STEM majors.
• More women in STEM would improve and create a meaningful impact on society and national needs.