Affirmative action can help women in STEM beyond the entry level: IISc director

In an interview with DH, the IISC director discusses the historical bias towards women in science

Science institutes should develop equal opportunity policies that support diversity, equity, and inclusivity, says Prof Govindan Rangarajan, Director, Indian Institute of Science. In an e-mail interview with DH's Anitha Pailoor, he discusses the historical bias towards women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields; global efforts to address the problem and IISc's efforts to ensure gender equity and inclusion.

What are the impediments to women’s progress from STEM studies to STEM workforce, and particularly, representation in higher levels of leadership?

Despite the growing emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in India, women still face numerous impediments to their progress from STEM studies to STEM workforce, particularly their representation in higher levels of leadership roles.

Some of the key impediments are:

Women face logistical challenges when pursuing STEM careers due to their historical role of a caregiver. This includes lack of flexible work timings, flexible career path to progress, and networking opportunities. Most offices lack flexible work arrangements that allow women to balance work and personal responsibilities.

Cultural expectations and social biases limit women's opportunities to enter STEM fields. Often families condition the girl child to prioritise marriage and motherhood over a career, leading women to opt out of STEM careers.

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STEM fields are often male dominated, with a culture that are not inclusive or supportive of women. Women feel isolated or excluded, which negatively impacts their performance and career prospects.

Women often face discrimination and stereotypes. They are often perceived as less competent or less committed to their work than men, which leads to fewer opportunities.

Women tend to have higher emotional intelligence which is a must for successful leadership. They have a more thorough and detailed way of seeing things. Both these points are ignored when selecting leadership positions due to historical selection bias.

Women lack role models and mentors in STEM fields, which makes it difficult for them to visualise their career paths and progress.

How can an institute or a department facilitate more women’s participation in the workforce?

There are several steps an institute or a department can take to facilitate more women's participation in the workforce. Here are some suggestions:

Foster a workplace culture that is supportive of women and values diversity.

Encourage and celebrate gender diversity and ensure that women feel comfortable and included in the workplace.

Women take most family responsibilities, such as caring for children or the elderly. Offer flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting, part-time work, or job sharing helps accommodate these responsibilities.

Unconscious bias can affect hiring, promotion, and performance evaluations. Raise awareness of unconscious bias with all colleagues/employees at the workplace and ensure that recruitment and promotion processes are fair and objective.

Offer family-friendly policies such as on-site childcare, flexible timings, and parental leave to support working parents.

Institutes should foster a supportive work environment that values and respects women's contributions, and provides opportunities for career advancement, mentorship, and networking.

How have affirmative actions like scholarships for women researchers helped beyond the entry level?

Affirmative actions like scholarships for women researchers have helped beyond the entry level by addressing the structural barriers that hinder women's participation in the workforce.

Encouraging women to pursue higher education despite social constraints has enabled them to acquire the skills and qualifications needed for higher-level positions.

Scholarships for women researchers have helped them re-enter the workforce.

Women bring unique perspectives and experiences to research and academia, which can help broaden the scope of research and lead to new discoveries.

Scholarships for women researchers help increase the number of women who pursue research careers, leading to amelioration in research output. This can benefit society by driving innovation and addressing social issues.

Scholarships for women researchers help address the gender imbalance in research and academia by providing equal opportunities for women to enter and advance in these fields. This can help break down barriers that have historically prevented women from pursuing careers in these fields.

What efforts are required at the policy level to make science institutes more inclusive?

Policy-level efforts are required to address the structural and cultural barriers that hinder inclusivity.

Science institutes need to develop equal opportunity policies that support diversity, equity, and inclusivity. These policies should make special provisions to address work issues faced by women.

Institutions can provide unconscious bias training to all the faculty, staff, and students to raise awareness and understanding of unconscious bias and its impact on underrepresented groups in science.

Institutions can develop recruitment and retention policies that aim to attract women who have had to quit STEM after studies or mid-career. Some initiatives could be: Research funds to restart their career, reach out through special recruitment drive, outreach through scholarships and fellowships, and back to work mentorship programmes.

For instance, Chetana – IISc’s outreach programme which is run by the Department of IT and BT, Government of Karnataka. The programme is aimed at empowering schoolgirls by exposing them to the latest technology and its application, primarily to encourage them to take a career in Science and Technology. IISc has partnered in the past by hosting the winter school. The Chetana Scholars are SSLC toppers from Govt High Schools from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, currently in Class XI and XII.

Gender budgeting is a powerful tool that can be used to promote the inclusion of women in STEM institutions. By allocating resources and addressing gender-specific challenges, STEM institutions can help women overcome the barriers they face in STEM fields and promote gender equality.

Globally, are there conscious efforts to make science labs and departments gender inclusive?

The scientific community recognises that there has been a long-standing problem with gender inequality in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Women are underrepresented in many STEM disciplines, and they often face barriers to advancement and recognition.
To address this issue, many universities, research institutions, and scientific organisations around the world have implemented initiatives to promote gender diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. These initiatives may include mentoring programmes, leadership training, bias awareness training, family-friendly policies, and targeted recruitment and retention efforts.

Some examples of initiatives that promote gender diversity and inclusion in science labs and departments include:

The Athena SWAN program in the UK aims to advance gender equality in higher education and research.

The National Science Foundation ADVANCE program in the United States supports efforts to increase the participation and advancement of women in academic STEM careers.

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program in Canada, aims to increase the representation and success of women in STEM fields.

The United Nations' HeForShe campaign engages men and boys in the promotion of gender equality.

The Government of India has initiated GATI (Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions) programme run by the Department of Science and Technology. The GATI Charter is based on 10 key principles. It believes that it is a moral imperative for all institutions to provide equal opportunity to all, and in particular, women from Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) areas, at all levels.

In addition, many scientific journals and conferences have adopted policies to promote gender diversity and inclusion, such as ensuring gender-balanced panels and editorial boards and implementing blind peer review processes to reduce bias.

What are the initiatives at IISc towards gender equality and inclusion?

Indian Institute of Science has undertaken several initiatives to facilitate better participation of women in the faculty. Some of them are:

Maternity Time Support: IISc has a policy which provides extension of time for tenure and promotion evaluation in the case of women faculty members after maternity leave.

Special Recruitment Drive: Separate selection drive for women in undergraduate and faculty selection.

Mentor-Mentee Programme: The institute runs a mentoring programme that supports young women faculty by providing guidance and assistance for their personal well-being and professional growth. The programme leverages the senior faculty's experience and expertise to address the concerns through one-to-one interactions between the young faculty and senior faculty.

Women Forum: IISc supports the Women's Forum which is a gathering of women faculty and scientific officers to foster voices and perspectives of women, in a celebratory spirit that encourages connections and community spirit. The forum identifies pressing issues and engages in supporting women through discussions and talks.

Child Care Policy: The institute has several options like day care, creches, and work from home, for women to achieve work-life balance. The Child Care Policy provides infrastructure support to women scientists with respect to childcare including leave as per norms.

Committee for Women’s Equity and Inclusion: The committee promotes and supports equal opportunities and empowerment of women in academics, research, and administration, mentoring women in academics, enhancing the visibility of women on the campus, and helping women achieve work-life balance and inclusivity.