Number of women scientists up; CSIR head aims at further push

Source: The post is based on the article “Number of women scientists up; CSIR head aims at further push” published in Indian Express on 23rd August 2022.

What is the News?

The recent appointment of Dr N Kalaiselvi as the first woman director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) underlined a significant trend of participation of women in scientific research.

What is the data regarding the participation of women in science and other fields?

Women Researchers: The percentage of women among researchers went from 13.9% in 2015 to 18.7% in 2018.

– However, still, women researchers in engineering and technology are fewer than in natural sciences, health and agriculture. But the percentage of women researchers in the social sciences and humanities is much higher at 36.4%.

– Participation (of women) is healthy till the postgraduate level. But there is a drop at the post-doctoral level, where most of the research takes place.

Women in R&D Projects: Around 28% of participants in extramural Research & Development projects in 2018-19 were women, up from 13% in 2000-01.

– The number of women principal investigators in R&D had risen more than four times from 232 in 2000-01 to 941 in 2016-17.

Women in Science Education: Results of All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019 showed 53% and 55% participation of women in science education at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels respectively. But at the doctoral level, women graduates (44%) lagged behind men (56%).

Department of Science and Technology: Out of the 97 scientists in the Department of Science and Technology (DST), 35 are women.

– The big achievement is that 11 out of 18 divisions in the DST are now headed by women, that is 61%, probably the largest percentage of women in leadership in any government department.

Other Institutions: Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure(CDRI) has 18%, NIPER Hyderabad 21%, and Defence Bio-Engineering and Electro-Medical Lab(DEBEL) in Bangalore has 33%.

What are the initiatives by the Government to promote Women in Science?

Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions(GATI)

Vigyan Jyoti Programme

Other Initiatives