dr_mj_icssr.pdf

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A STUDY OF WOMEN SCIENTISTS IN TAMILNADU

Executive Summary

Major Research Project (ICSSR)

in

Womens Studies

Researcher

Dr.M.JEYARATHNAM

Director/ Professor

Department of Womens Studies

Bharathiar University

Coimbatore-46

Tamil Nadu

Project submitted to

Indian Council for Social Science ResearchNew Delhi

Jan 2013


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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

Introduction

Today, science is considered as an agent of social change, national reconstruction,

economic resurgence and national security. The Government of India promotes science

and technology as an element of national development since Independence. The

Scientific Policy of 1958, Technology Policy Statement 1983, Perspective Plan for 2001

AD: Role of Science and Technology and the Science and Technology Policy (2003)

serve as powerful influencing forces in spreading science and technology education and

thereby achieving national goals of self reliance and socio economic development.

Womens education in India plays an important role in the overall development of

the country. It not only helps in the development of half of the human resource, but also

in improving the quality of life at home and outside. There is an increasing enrolment of

women in higher education to pursue science, engineering and technology courses, but

the proportion of women in science and technology is still low. The most favorite

professional area for women has been that of medicine in which the share of women

enrolment has increased from 16.3% to 45% of the total enrollment in this field during

the past 55 years. Another professional area, which has recently attracted women, is

Engineering and Technology. The share of women enrolment in this area, which was

only 0.16% in 1950-51 increased to 20.6% in 2005-06. Surprisingly, Agriculture is a


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professional area in which women enrolment has grown sharply from only 0.17% in

1950-51 to 20.5% in 2005-06.

Although in the Vedic period women had access to education in India, they had

gradually lost this right. However, in the British period, various socio, religious

movements led by eminent persons like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra

Vidyasagar emphasized womens education in India. Mahatma Gandhi, Jyotiba Phule,

E.V.R.Periyar and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were instrumental in making education

available to women in India. However womens education got a fillip after the country

got Independence in 1947. The various measures taken by the Central and the State

Governments resulted in the growth of female literacy rate after Independence.

Numerous studies have shown that even in the advanced countries there is

tremendous sexual nepotism which are both conscious and unconscious. Women who

seek science career have to face the triple burden of professional work, domestic work

and fighting male chauvinism. However, traditional mindsets internalized over

generations prevent women from opting courses like science, particularly physical

sciences, mathematics and technology, which are perceived as being more in the male

domain. Study of science and technology does not ensure further opportunities and

smooth career path for women, due to glass ceiling.

In recent years the issue of marginalizing women from scientific career is being

seen with concern all over the world. In India the problem is to get more women to study

science and technology and ensure that those who study are able to pursue a career in


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science and technology. Attrition after higher education is a national waste and

impoverishment of Indian science. Vineeta Bali has points out that though there is

increasing number of women scientists in biology, gender based disadvantages continue

to be the order of the day. What is applicable to women scientists of biology is true of

women scientists of other disciplines. In India women scientists have complained that

even in science books women are depicted in traditional roles.

Objectives

The study has the following objectives. It aims

1. To study the demographic profile of women scientists in Tamil Nadu2. To examine motivation, constraints and gender issues faced by women scientists3. To understand the organizational climate prevailing in science institutions chosen

for study

4. To analyze the expectations of women scientists with respect to their careergrowth

5. To make suggestions for bringing more women into science careerResearch Methodology

The study depends mainly on primary data. A structured interview schedule was

constructed and administered to collect primary data among the selected women

scientists. In addition, informal interviews with women scientists were conducted for

deeper understanding of the problem.


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Secondary data have been collected from websites, books, reports of Ministry of

Science and Technology, Census reports, journals and magazines. A pilot study was

undertaken to comprehend the variables involved in the study. A structured interview

schedule has been used as a research instrument. Women scientists with permanent

position, involved in teaching and research are the respondents for the study. The

respondents are drawn from eight State Universities such as Annamalai University,

Bharathiar University, Bharathidasan University, Gandhigram Rural Institute, University

of Madras, Madurai Kamaraj University, Periyar University, Alagappa University, Tamil

Nadu Agriculture University and Anna University, three Research Organizations such as

Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Central Institute for Cotton Research,

Regional Station, Coimbatore, Sugarcane Breeding Research Station and ICAR and five

Private Universities such as Avinashilingam Deemed University, Karunya University,

Karpagam University, Vinayaka Mission University and Amirtha University in Tamil

Nadu. Census method has been adopted and all women scientists are included in the

study. 268 women scientists participated in the study.

Null Hypotheses

The null hypotheses have been framed to test the relationship between

demographic variables and organizational climate and career growth. A few null

hypothesis are presented below.


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There is no significant difference between the groups of women scientists on thebasis of discipline pursued and their perception of organizational climate

There is no significant difference between the groups of women scientists onreasons for choosing science career and their perception of organizational climate

There is no significant difference between the groups of women scientists onreasons for continuing in the job and their perception of organizational climate

There is no significant difference between the groups of women scientists on

satisfaction with working hours and their perception of organizational climate

Findings

The profile of the respondents selected for the study shows that 54.5% are in theage group of 36-45 years

67.9% belong to OBC, 89.6% are Hindus and minority community like Christiansand Muslims constitute negligible percentage only

68.3% of women scientists live in nuclear family. 90.7% are married and 9.3% areunmarried

21.1% of the respondents are married to scientists and 15.1% are married tobusiness men. Majority of them have married men with comparable status

The respondents have pursued approximately 20 disciplines. 21.8% of them aredrawn from agriculture and related fields such as Agronomy, Soil Science, Spices

and Plantation, Crop Physiology and Animal Husbandry. 34% of the women


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scientists have pursued Life Science and Biological Science such as Biochemistry,

Botany, Zoology, Microbiology, Pathology, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.

12.3% of women scientists pursued Electrical Electronics and Engineering. 9.3%

have chosen chemical science

All the respondents are members of various professional organizations. Some ofthem are members of more than seven organizations.

52.3% of the women scientists have one child and 44.9% of the respondents havetwo children

167 children of women scientists are less than 10 year old. 141 children of womanscientists are in the age group of 11-20 years. 47 children of the respondents are in

the age group of 21-30 years

36.2% of the respondents had their school education in metropolitan cities and25.4% of women scientists studied in village schools

59.3% of the women scientists had their school education in English medium and40.7% of the respondents had their school education through Tamil medium

All the respondents in the study have done doctorate degree in their discipline. The study reveals that entry into science is a conscious decision for all the

scientists selected for the study. 76.1% of the sample women scientists, decided

about science career in their secondary school stage itself

Encouragement by parents to opt for science career is an interesting finding of thestudy. 41.8% of respondents got encouragement from their fathers and 28.7% of


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the respondents were motivated by their mothers and 25.7% of the respondents,

were encouraged by the teachers to opt for science career

Personal interest in science is the reason for 71.3% of the scientists to choosescience as a career. Job potential and peer group influence are reasons for 13% and

15.7% of respondents respectively

70% of the respondents are actively involved in research and development.Laboratory supervision (16%), project planning (15.7%) and scientific

documentation(8.2%) are also undertaken by the respondents

An analysis about motivation for higher jobs reveals that interest in subject(1196),career prospects(953), and sponsorship by organization (974) are reasons that

motivated them for higher position as expressed by them on a five point scale

It is remarkable that 86.6% are ready to accept challenging positions in future.Others do not accept due to personal reasons such as pregnancy, child care and so

on. Many respondents revealed that they were not offered challenging tasks due to

inherent bias and negative attitudes

Additional responsibilities are undertaken quite often by 56.4% of womenscientists

78.4% of the women scientists have achieved their goals. Householdresponsibilities and lack of time are reasons attributed by 22.6% of women

scientists for non fulfillment of their goals


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Preferred career options for 44.4% of women scientists is more interesting job andcontinuous growth in the job are the preferred options for 44.4% and 31.1% of

women scientists

Scientists as woman face several problems as observed in many studies. Thepresent survey points out that, 84 have faced problems of gender discrimination.

31 of them faced health and family related problems. 50 women scientists have

faced problems of time constraints. However 38.4% of the respondents taken for

the study do not have any special problem as woman

A congenial organizational climate is needed for performance and achievement ofgoals. Organization climate in this study has been studied in terms of variables

such as infrastructure facilities, safety and security policy, prevention of sexual

harassment policy, denial of career opportunities, denial of promotion, expected

changes in career, satisfaction with ones own achievement and need for special

benefits for women. The response of the women scientists expressed in a five

point scale shows that 71% of them are satisfied with the organizational climate as

prevailed in the organization

The women scientists have rated safety and security policy, prevention of sexualharassment policy, infrastructure facility and satisfaction about achievement

with a respective mean score of 4.6194, 4.4142, 4.2794 and 3.9366 as satisfactory

Among the various factors that influence organization climate, the ANOVA resultshows that, factors such as the disciplines pursued by women scientists, reasons

for science career, present job, working hours, extended working hours, additional


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responsibilities, special difficulties as women, fulfillment of ones goals and

preferred career advancement are influencing factors of organizational climate as

perceived by women scientists

Career growth in this study has been studied in terms of ten variables such asmarriage affected career, career and work affected child birth, marital

responsibilities affect career, difficulty in obtaining research position,

discouragement, peer groups support, husbands encouragement, good

interpersonal relationship, excessive rules and freedom to work independently

The perception of women scientists as expressed on a five point scale shows thathusbands encouragement, good interpersonal relationship, career and marriage

affected childbirth and freedom to work independently facilitate the career growth

of women scientists with a mean score of 4.1, 3.9 and 3.73 respectively

The ANOVA test results prove that continuing the present job, satisfaction withworking hours, extended working hours, additional responsibilities and fulfillment

of goals are influencing factors for career growth

Policy Implication

It is suggested that flexible working hours, work from home facility as provided inIT organizations, crche, campus housing and rest rooms are some of the basic

facilities that may be provided in the research institutions


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Provision for the husband and wife to work in the same institution/same city is tobe permitted as the present practice does not allow the couple to work in the same

place

Inclusion of women scientists in the policy making bodies/decision makingcommittees will empower and encourage them to undertake projects

Networking among women scientists would build interest and self confidence andlong term relationship by sharing information among them

Gender sensitization to male scientists would help in preventing subtlediscrimination in science organizations

More schemes as devised by DST for bringing more women who faced break intheir career should be devised and implemented

Reservation in promotion, relaxation in age limit for award and fellowship,maternity leave followed by half work load for three months and slow, progress

during maternity leave to be considered in appraisal, preference in funding

proposals, relaxation in the first promotion as career is usually affected by

childbirth and nurturing, age limit for applying for travel/grant project extended to

60 years and flexible timings for mothers with special children would attract more

women into science career

Case studies of women scientists and their contribution may be included in theschool curriculum to set right the stereotyped views of women in young minds

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