Talking about her parents, Agashe, says, “They were quite liberal, especially my mother, who always emphasised that career comes first and foremost. I always had the freedom to make my career choices.” She rues how many girls in our country don’t have access to education and career choices or resources because their families might think it is not worth investing in a girl. “So even if they have the aptitude to pursue, there are a lot of deterrents. Steps are being taken to address those challenges,” she hopes.
Experience wise
To these encouraging trends, Kumar cites a recent example from January 2020, when a female student approached her for PhD. “I interviewed her and found that her concepts were clear, and she had a passion for science. She had a four-year-old son and her second baby was due in June. She joined the lab after maternity leave. Every day, I see her struggling and still keeping her chin up in her role as a mother, wife and researcher. Her husband is supportive, but her in-laws aren’t and that leaves her in a fix sometimes,” says Kumar. She emphasises that “to encourage women in science, we as a society have to evolve to ensure that students, like mine who wants to keep at it come what may, continue their passion in science and not leave it midway due to domestic responsibilities.”
Rajbongshi has a vital point to add to the role that women have played in science. “From Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin to Kalpana Chawla, history speaks of the success stories and the unfailing attitude of women and their commitment towards science. If observed at the grassroots level, women’s role in science has challenged society’s narrow shackles. Women uphold the responsibility of moulding the family, the society and then the nation at large. Therefore, we must try and imbibe a scientific temper in them early on so that they can mould the younger ones accordingly.”
Even though girls and women have more opportunities coming their way in STEM today than before, there’s a visible lack of enabling infrastructure and environment. The women scientists were unanimous in adding that though there are many reasons, the lack of role models and gender bias are the major hindrances. “The role of women in STEM should be imperative and always has been. But women are not being granted the right acknowledgement to their contributions to science and technology. Recognition is needed for women in STEM,” says Felshia.
Women can also use science to challenge superstitious and help make the society move forward. “Further, when women are actively involved in scientific endeavours, they act both as pioneers and role models for thousands of other women,” says Rajbongshi.
Fair deal?
Agashe accepts that she is one amongst those who have not faced any significant challenges in her early years, and a few small ones, only at later stages of her career. Highlighting the major roadblocks, she tells, “A major challenge that women face at the higher education system and career levels is people’s pervasive inability to effectively not see gender as an issue. People look at you differently and treat you differently because you are a woman, which changes how they interact and perceive you. It decides what kind of opportunities are given to you at a higher stage.”
Sarkar highlights that apart from implying gender equality, education, and independence, women’s most important role in science is the perspective. “It is now proven (psychologically and physiologically) that men and women have different thought processes. Therefore, it is vital to have both perspectives in science. Remember that scientific outcome is the analysis of experimental data, and the analysis depends on the thought process,” she says.
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