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R 081353Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001874 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR STAS DR. FEDOROFF, SCA/INSB, and OES/PCI 
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS 
S/GWI FOR AMBASSADOR MELANNE VERVEER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KSCA KWMN KDEM TSPL SCUL PHUM ELAB PGOV IN
SUBJECT: INDIA: CELEBRATING WOMEN IN SCIENCE, NOT YET EQUAL 
 
REF:  A. 09 NewDelhi 544 
       ¶B. 09 Mumbai 140 
       ¶C. 09 Mumbai 142 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: More than 60 attendees from a variety of backgrounds 
discussed India's climate for women scientists during an Embassy 
Environment, Science and Technology (EST) Office-hosted "Celebrating 
Women in Science" workshop.  Women scientists in India are every bit 
as intelligent and hard working as their male counterparts, but 
seldom reach the senior ranks and face significant obstacles - 
primarily cultural and organizational - to achieving success in 
India.  The women in science are ready to do something about it, and 
are looking for assistance to figure out how.  Mission is exploring 
programming options and welcomes Department suggestions.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
¶2. After visiting laboratories and universities across India and 
attending conferences for the past year, ESTOff noticed a troubling 
phenomenon: Indian women scientists were either not present or 
significantly underrepresented.  This was particularly apparent 
across disciplines in senior scientific positions and in government 
institutions, although somewhat less so in Indian commercial pharma 
and biotechnology firms where there are more women executives and 
senior scientists.  The EST office decided to host an event 
celebrating women scientists to try to understand the environment in 
which they work and what it took for them to become successful. 
 
¶3. The 19 August workshop brought together women from a broad cross 
section of specialties and experience levels, including scientists 
with policy and advocacy roles, science educators, researchers 
working in industry, defense, agriculture, conservation, astronomy, 
physics, nutrition and pharmaceuticals.  University students and 
students in grades 9-12 with an interest in science also 
participated.  The diverse group of attendees provided a broad view 
of the Indian science environment and also created an atmosphere 
conducive to generating new ideas and creating new networks. 
 
 
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES 
 
¶4. In addition to gender, participants pointed to caste, the rural 
versus urban divide, and the availability of state government 
programs as key factors in determining opportunities in science. 
Participants were not looking for a "reservation" or quota system 
but instead believed that women should be better integrated into the 
existing system and that merit, not gender, should be the main 
criteria for selection and opportunity.  They noted that women 
currently are not even on the platform where decisions are made and 
male-run inner circles do not give women the same opportunities as 
equally or less qualified men.  Though the workshop attendees were 
diverse, their observations on obstacles to success were almost 
universally held.  Following are highlights from the workshop: 
 
-- Although no laws or official policies explicitly prohibit women 
from entering or advancing in science, Indian women are expected to 
place family considerations above all others.  Moreover, social and 
cultural restrictions create work environments that prevent women 
from rising to the senior ranks, particularly in government and 
education organizations.  Former Secretary of Biotechnology Dr. 
Manju Sharma and Dr. Neelam Kumar, author of "Women in Science in 
India" and a scientist at the National Institute of Science 
Technology and Development Studies, indicated that women are 
consistently compensated less than their male counterparts, 
sometimes by as much as half.  There is a generally held presumption 
that women cannot do the job, though studies show that there are no 
differences in ability between the sexes and women often are more 
productive than men in the same positions.  Many of the participants 
noted they felt the need to be twice as good and work twice as hard 
as their male colleagues to be taken seriously.  Participants gave 
anecdotal accounts, both during the group discussion and in private 
 
NEW DELHI 00001874  002 OF 003 
 
 
conversations with ESTOff after the workshop, of feeling guilty 
about getting promotions as their male colleagues were resentful, 
jealous, and made derogatory and spiteful comments about their 
performance in the workplace. 
 
-- Senior policy makers give lip service to advancing the rights of 
women, but do not follow through with hiring more women into the 
senior ranks or demanding and enforcing equal treatment.  According 
to data provided by Dr. Kumar, only 10.2 percent of the total 
research & development personnel in India are women; and neither the 
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, a key government 
science research organization, nor any of its 37 institutes have 
ever been headed by a woman.  University Grants Commission 
statistics show that only 11 percent of vice chancellors in Indian 
universities are women, and of this 5-6 percent are in women-only 
universities where a woman chancellor is mandatory.  Participants 
urged that S&T leaders in the Ministries, government institutes and 
schools be held accountable for creating a level playing field and 
bringing more qualified women into the ranks of senior scientists, 
educators and S&T policy advisors.  For this to happen, a 
significant social and cultural shift needs to take place. 
 
-- There is little flexibility in scientific careers in India. The 
Indian scientific establishment tends to be rigidly stove-piped with 
scientists often spending their entire careers climbing the ladder 
within a single institution.  This organizational structure offers 
little or no consideration for work-life balance.  Those who take 
time off for family often find they are not welcome back in the 
workplace, and that there are no opportunities for part-time work, 
flexible hours or work-based childcare facilities to accommodate 
family demands.  Nor are there opportunities for lateral movement 
between research, policy or advocacy organizations. Scientists who 
wish to move to related career fields or to go back to school are 
hindered by age or other policy restrictions. 
 
-- Several state and central government programs designed to provide 
science instruction exist for girls and women in rural areas. 
However, a severe shortage of qualified trainers, outdated 
textbooks, and a focus on agriculture to the exclusion of other 
science results in less than optimal implementation and 
significantly disadvantages those girls who have no other options. 
 
-- Participants, no matter their field, uniformly identified a 
strong supporter - family, teachers or mentors - as critical to 
their success.  One of the high school students recognized the 
inspiration and support of her school administrator during her 
remarks at the workshop.  A university student, who came with her 
professor, said that when the time came to choose between science 
and humanity studies, her family told her to pick the easier one 
because she was a girl; she chose science anyway.  ESTOFF has heard 
numerous times that Indian parents believe a girl's duties and 
responsibilities to her family - current and future - are paramount, 
and so they try to steer girls towards less demanding careers that 
they believe would not interfere with those duties. 
 
-- One participant observed that women need to be more assertive in 
marketing their contributions and benefits to their organization, 
and asking for what they need and want rather than expecting it to 
be handed to them.  Other participants agreed, but noted that this 
goes against many cultural norms and may be a difficult behavior to 
change. 
 
-- By and large, women are not effectively integrated into the 
professional networking organizations or the "water cooler" and 
inner circle networks in their institutions.  This means they are 
both excluded from many decisions and are often unaware of the 
programs and opportunities available to them.  Despite indicating 
they did not particularly enjoy this type of networking, 
participants strongly emphasized the need to be better connected 
with the larger scientific community, not just with women 
scientists, in order to achieve any equality. 
 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00001874  003 OF 003 
 
 
NEXT STEPS 
 
¶5. Participants repeatedly expressed appreciation that the U.S. 
Embassy was willing to host a workshop everyone said was needed but 
no one felt they could host.  While interested in taking action, 
participants were not exactly sure what that action should be, who 
should take it, or how they should take it.  The U.S. is in a unique 
position to assist these women in creating a vision and strategy for 
implementing a campaign for equality.  To engage a wider audience 
and increase awareness of this and other women's empowerment issues 
(REFTELS) in India, post brainstormed the following list of ideas 
for possible future activities.  Post has not yet committed to any 
programs, and welcome Department input on these ideas and 
suggestions for other potential activities. 
 
-- A roundtable lunch with senior government leaders in Human 
Resources, Science and Environment and key female scientists to 
discuss the situation and possible ways forward. 
 
-- Inclusion of women scientists in a Women's Empowerment roundtable 
lunch with Ambassador Verveer during her November visit to India. 
 
-- Sending a group of women, including women scientists, to DC for a 
luncheon with the Secretary during the summit with Prime Minister 
Singh. 
 
-- Finding opportunities for the inclusion of women scientists in 
the Asia Women's Leadership Summit, sponsored by Vital Voices and 
the USG in New Delhi in early 2010. 
 
-- Putting on a larger conference (possibly regional?) on Women in 
Science to coincide with International Women's Day in March 2010. 
 
-- Implementing a Public Affairs campaign highlighting contributions 
women can and do make to science, including reaching out to American 
scientists in key positions such as Science Advisor Nina Fedoroff 
and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, for press articles and public 
appearances in India. 
 
-- Identifying professional scientific organizations in the U.S. for 
possible partnership with their Indian equivalents to focus on 
creating networking and mentoring opportunities. 
 
--Planning an International Visitors Leadership Program for women 
scientists from South Asia for 2010 or 2011. 
 
ROEMER