Recommendations from the conference delegates for promoting science career for Indian women
  
     
 
Union Minister for Science and Technology Shri Kapil Sibal announced in the inaugural session of the conference on 8th March 2008 that all DST Aided Institutions would -
  
 
   
  • Provide flexible working hours for women scientists having children up to the age of 3 years.
  • Support the construction of women's residential blocks; and
  • Allocate financial support to establish a state-of-art crèche facility in all institutions.
  • And for young women scientists in India who are associates of INSA, there will be provision for a research grant of upto Rs.10 lakhs a a year for a period of 5 years
 
 

During the course of two-day conference efforts were made to get inputs from the participants about what they feel as lacking in the current working conditions and what can be done to improve the career opportunities. While many of the demands can be seen as applicable to all professional women, some are more specific to Science careers. The following write-up has Science career as a primary focus.

The major points which came out of the feedback from the floor based on the questionnaire distributed during the meeting and opinions expressed by participants verbally during interactive sessions can be summarised as follows:

  
     
 
  1. Currently there is a convention of not recruiting husband and wife at the same work place. This affects women more adversely than men.This policy/convention needs to be revisited.

  2. Though there is a leaky pipeline in women's career in Science, major leak is observed in post-PhD level when women's roles as wives and mothers become centrestage. An active support system is required to be in place to prevent this leak.
    • Provide better generic facilities such as housing, creche, day-care centre for elderly, women's cell etc. at the workplace.
    • Provide incentives to women to help them stay in the career rather than taking a break such as flexi time, part-time jobs with full service benefits, provision to work from home, special monetary allowance for childcare.

  3. Provide more opportunities for re-entry.
    • Re-entry award with mentorship.
    • Fresh training in different skills such as handling of IPR issues, managerial skills etc.

  4. Gender audit
    Instruct every institute/university to submit response to specific questions which can be used as indicators of their gender sensitive approach. For example:
    • The number of women employed, numbers in different categories -from junior to senior,
    • Number of gender sensitisation workshops conducted for men and women at the workplace,
    • Number of children using the creche,
    • Establishment and working of women's cell,
    • If there are cases of sexual harassment reported, the outcome of such cases.
    Annually this information should be collected by various science departments of the government and collated. An incentive for the workplace with best gender approach can be provided.

  5. Set targets for improvement in proportions of women in > different categories. For example:
    • A staggered approach for improving proportions can be envisaged.The number of women faculty employed at different levels should increase by about 5% every year if the existing proportion of women is less than 10%. If the proportion is between 10-20% the annual desired increase in proportion should be 4%. For workplaces with women's representation between 20-25%, the annual desired increase should be aimed at 3%. The proportion of women should reach a minimum of 30% in all workplaces where women scientists are employed.
    • Every selection committee should have 20% of women.
    • Every conference should have a minimum of 20% speakers as women. In biology this number should be 30%.