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Probably we all know the name of Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics. However, do we know that till 2018, only 51 women have been awarded with this prestigious award against 853 men, and of them, only 20 women have won it in the field of medicine, physiology, chemistry and physics. The number bluntly indicates the under-representation of women in science.

The dearth of women is prominent in the whole STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors across the globe. This trend starts from the graduation level.  As per All India Higher Education Survey (AIHES) 2017-18, while 49 per cent female students are enrolled in B.SC, this figure is as low as 29 per cent for B.Tech. If we calculate the percentage of students opting for Ph.D. after their post-graduation, the gender disparity becomes more prominent. Only six per cent women in Engineering and Technology courses are opting for Ph.D. after their post-graduation. In Science stream the number is as low as three per cent. The picture varies across different sub-streams of science. While 45 per cent out of the total enrolled for PH.D. in mathematics are women, it is only 36 per cent for Physics. For example, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, one of the country’s top graduate schools for physics has only two women out of 34 enrolled PhD students in the Department of Theoretical Physics.

Degree converted in to career

Girls have generally outperformed boys in academics, but when it comes to those who take up research in later life, the number of women becomes minuscule. The number of women as faculty in academic and research institutes is not commensurate with the number of Ph.D holders.   Only a small percentage of women who do pursue science convert it into a career. As per the report of National Task Force for Women in Science, only 15 per cent of the Indian research and development workforce are women, while the global average is 30 per cent. The imbalance is biggest in fields such as computer science and physics, and smallest in life sciences and medicine.

Women are underrepresented, underpaid and often unrecognised for their scientific achievements. According to a 2009 report, out of 744 Indian National Science Academy Fellowships, only 3.2 per cent were women awardee. The report highlights that presence of male-centric selection committees for awards and for appointments to research and development positions in government-funded organizations, often work against female scientists.

We often hear that the poor representation of women in STEM career is nothing abnormal as the fact of life is men and women are different. But literature shows that whatever biological differences there are between men and women, there is very little difference in scientific or mathematical ability, and certainly not enough to explain the under-representation of women in STEM careers. The PISA[1] report, 2015 which measures the learning achievement of the 15-year-olds from 40 countries shows that boys and girls perform at similar levels in science.  Despite this, large gender differences remain in students’ dispositions towards science-related careers, even among students who score similarly in science and who report similar levels of enjoyment in learning science.

Why this poor representation

A major factor responsible for this is the mindset that boys are better at science and girls are not. Thus, we see, of the 11 per cent colleges in India which are exclusively for women, majority offer arts and commerce rather than science. Role models many a times are a factor in making career choices. However, there are fewer female role models in the fields of science, math, or engineering for young female students to follow. Moreover, our textbooks too rarely talk about these role models. Consequently, most of us don’t know the name of Dr. Asima Chatterjee, the first woman to receive a doctorate of science from an Indian university or A. Lalitha, the first woman engineer from the country.

When comes the question of pursuing a career in science, the entrenched patriarchy in society holds women back. By default, women are perceived to take the dual burden of home and work and if there is a career break for family reason, it becomes very difficult for women to come back to careers in science. There are also patriarchal attitudes in hiring practices or awarding fellowships and grants etc. A male-dominated work environment and gender insensitivity are additional burdens for women scientists.

Need for some enabling measures

The problem needs to be addressed at two levels – at societal level which requires long term effort and the policy and institutional level, which can be started with immediate effect.

Empowering women in science and technology and their full and equal participation is one of the core objectives mentioned in the Science and Technology Policy of the Govt. of India, 2003. Accordingly, there are a number of schemes, mostly in the form of scholarships, introduced by government. However, evidence suggests that   Government has not been very pro-active in addressing this issue. Many of the suggestions and recommendations made by scientists at various panels and task forces remain unimplemented.

There is an immediate need to invest on supporting infrastructure, incentivising institutions to promote gender equity, transparency in decision making etc. to bridge the persisting gender imbalance in STEM major. As a first step, however schools need to break the ‘gendered notions of intelligence’ and encourage girls not only to take science at secondary and higher secondary level but also to pursue their career in STEM. This would help not only in women being able to chase their dreams but science itself would be benefitted from other points of view.

 

[1] Programme for International Student Assessment

 

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author, and don’t necessarily reflect the position of CBGA. You can reach Protiva Kundu at protiva@cbgaindia.org.