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

A survey was conducted with a total of 794 of the
registered members (568 women and 226 men)
based on voluntary participation and availability of
respondents. Table 1 gives a break-up of the
survey respondents by category.
questionnaire was designed to collect both
quantitative as well as qualitative information with
respect to six main topics:
Category Women Men
Frequency Percent Frequency Percent
In Science Research 312 54.93 161 71.24
Not in Science Research 182 32.04 64 28.32
Not Working 74 13.03 1 0.44
Total 568 100 226 100
Research Design:
The project was divided into three phases spread
over 3 years (2007-2009). In the first phase, a
database of women scientists with a PhD in Science,
Engineering or Medicine was created with a conscious
effort to represent women scientists from different
cohorts starting from the year 1960 to the present.
In order to obtain information about women
scientists several institutions, universities and
colleges across the four zones were contacted. Other
contacts were also obtained by Google searching
for students and faculty from different institutions
of India. An attempt was made to contact at least
10 organizations per zone to ensure that each zone
was adequately represented. However due to
practical restrictions such as low number of PhDs
and institutes in certain regions, unavailability of
records of students and contact details at many
institutions, and non-willingness of some scientists
to participate in the study, the actual numbers from
each zone and across each decade vary.
Members were registered through multiple modes,
i.e. personal visits to institutions, over phone or
through email.
A request was also sent out to registered members
repeatedly to inform us of their friends or
acquaintances with a PhD in Engineering, Science
or Medicine, particularly to trace women who were
currently not working, as their details were not
available in the public domain.
A questionnaire consisting of approximately 100
questions (the actual numbers vary for each of the
sub-groups of the study) was developed through a
review of literature, and through discussions and
inputs from various members of the core group. The
a. Employment details which included present as well
as prior engagements, breaks in career, balance
of professional and personal time, and desire to
work in fields related to Science.
b. Educational details including Doctoral and postgraduate
courses, supervisor details, educational
environment, role models , etc.
c. Organizational climate details for past and present
jobs.
d. Perceived reasons for women and men leaving
Science and useful policies to retain them in
Science.
e. Research and Productivity factors related to
participation, collaboration and networking in
research.
f. Personal details relating to spouse, children and
family.
The questionnaire was circulated among the core
group for suggestions. Discussions were held with
statisticians to ensure that the questionnaire would
be amenable to analysis and the questions
incorporated were valid. Based on the inputs a pilot
questionnaire was prepared and administered to a
small number of women scientists. Inputs received
from respondents were then incorporated into the
questionnaire and it was finalized and sent for print.
After the creation of a database of women scientists
and development of the questionnaire, the second
phase of the study was begun, while the registration
process was simultaneously kept open. In the second
phase, members on the database were contacted
and requested to participate in the survey. Members
were contacted over phone or email and requested
to give appointments as per their convenience. The
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