Trained Scientific Women Power: How Much are we Losing and Why?

METHODOLOGY
The aim of the present study, “Trained Scientific
Women Power: How Much are we Losing and
Why?” jointly conducted by the National Institute
of Advanced Studies (NIAS) and the Panel for Women
in Science of the Indian Academy of Sciences was to
investigate the reasons for poor participation of
women with doctorates in Science, Engineering or
Medicine, in careers in Science. Specifically, the
objective of the study was to examine the reasons
for the loss entailed when women who have received
the highest level of scientific training gained at the
doctoral level are not engaged in careers that utilize
that training and experience, thus indicating a
mismatch between their qualification and
employment at lower levels of Science. The objective
was to develop a comprehensive set of
recommendations, policies, interventions and
strategies in order to check the loss of trained
scientific women power.
A unique strength of the project has been the
involvement of a team of scientists and social
scientists in order to analyze this problem to develop
more holistic and comprehensive policies. This
collaboration has ensured that a deeper
understanding of the processes and milieu of
scientific research and scientific careers can be
obtained with the help of the scientists, while
simultaneously applying the expertise of sociological
perspectives and wide-range of methodology
available to the social scientists who bring their
unique training and perspective to problems related
to human behaviour and functioning.
Objectives of the Research Study
The specific objectives of the research study were
as follows:
1. To create a database of women scientists with a
PhD in Science, Engineering or Medicine;
2. To analyze trends and reasons for the drop-out
among women scientists from a research based
career; and
3. To develop a set of comprehensive
recommendations to retain women in Science.
Methodology
Sample: The aim of the project was to obtain a
picture of the nation-wide loss of trained scientific
women power, by sampling a representative number
of scientists and documenting reasons for this loss
of human power, so that appropriate interventions,
policies and strategies may be framed to check this
loss. It was also planned to sample a proportionate
number of men scientists on a nation wide basis to
allow for a comparative study of the reasons for the
loss of scientific personnel.
Based on the objectives of the study, a total of 2369
scientists who had completed a PhD in Science,
Engineering or Medicine were registered. Of these,
1966 were women and 403 were men. Zone-wise,
discipline-wise, and category-wise break-up of the
scientists registered on the database is given below.
Graph I: Zone-wise Distribution of Database Registrants (Refer Appendix I for the table)
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