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Inaugurating the first Women Science Congress on 5 January 2012, Rao called for redoubling efforts to make science more inclusive

Encourage the participation of women in science in India: Nirupama Rao

06-Jan-2012, 09:24

Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the US, called for increased participation and retention of women scientists for overall development of the nation. Inaugurating the first Women Science Congress on the sidelines of the ongoing 99th Indian Science Congress (ISC) at Bhubaneshwar on 5 January 2012, Rao called for redoubling efforts to make science more inclusive. She said that we need to encourage the participation of women in science in India. The former foreign secretary called for policy solutions to remove gender-based disparity in science and other sectors.

We have to encourage participation and retention of Indian women scientists in science and technology, which is important for national development and the success of other programmes, she added.

The Jan 3-7 event on the theme `Science and Technology for Inclusive Innovation - Role of Women` is focused on women in science. In line with the theme, the five-day ISC is headed by Geetha Bali, vice chancellor of the Karnataka State Women's University, Bijapur. She is the fourth woman in the history of the ISC to head the Congress.

Addressing the Women Science Congress, D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD), said the development of women cannot be complete without their equal participation in science.

Earlier, inaugurating the ISC Tuesday, 2 January 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underlined the need for transparency in selection procedures and also the importance of gender audits.

We should also take note of the results of a study published last year that showed that 60 percent of nearly 2,000 Indian women PhDs in science who were surveyed were unemployed. The main reason cited was lack of job opportunities. Only a very small number cited family reasons. This underlines the need for transparency in selection procedures at institutions and also the importance of gender audits, she said.