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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE

If science is not sexist, why should we be?

Catherine Spencer and AKM Tariful Islam Khan
LET'S be very candid—what do we want our daughters to be when they grow up? "Scientist" is probably not on the short list. Similarly, if a girl were asked what she wants to be, a “scientist" may well be bottom of her career of choice.
The absence of gender diversity in science is very well recognised. According to UNESCO, globally at the bachelor's and master's levels, women have achieved parity (44-55 percent) by representing 53 percent of all graduates, and at the PhD level, they account for 43 percent. But only 28 percent choose a career in science and research. A recent Nature study looked into 83,000 articles and found only 17 percent had female corresponding authors; the rest were male. This indicates that science, technology, engineering, or maths—often termed together as STEM—is not a very popular career choice for women and could potentially indicate discrimination. However, Angela Saini in her fascinating new book Inferior: How Science Cot Women Wrong - and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story gives "an alternative view of science in which women are included, rather than excluded."
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed on February 11, recognises the important role that women and girls play in science and technology. On this very special day, let us ensure that women's role in science is considered and discussed, between parents and children, teachers and students,
families and friends, and leaders and decision makers.
One of the six goals in the strategic plan of icddr.b is skills development of staff and supporting women. It says, "We will build the skills and competencies of scientific and other staff, with a special focus on developing local research capacity, particularly at the mid-career level, and supporting female researchers." icddr.b is privileged to have a good number of female scientists who have excelled in their field of work and have earned global reputation for
innovation and generating new knowledge. We have a number of ongoing initiatives to increase the number of our female researchers. Currently, 30 percent of our 262 researchers are female. Since its inception, icddr,b is very well-known for advocating female empowerment and providing an enabling environment for women to thrive at work and especially in the field of public health research and innovation.
We asked some of our women scientists about the reason why
female researchers are outnumbered by men in science in Bangladesh and how this can be addressed.
Dr Firdausi Qadri, Emeritus Scientist and Acting Senior Director of Infectious Disease Division, is one of the first scientists from this subcontinent to win the Christophe & Rodolphe M^rieux Foundation Prize (2012) from the French Academy of Sciences. She says, "In Bangladesh, the underrepresentation of women in science begins from the early stage of education and grows over time. A combination of factors
negatively influences the decisionmaking process, starting with the lack of practical understanding of women working in science to the unseen promise of a stable job along with prejudices and beliefs. This can restrict parents, relatives, teachers and peers to advocate for science for girl child. The process is changing in Bangladesh but awareness needs to be created more aggressively and the concepts changed. There are more and more opportunities emerging for women in science, and girls need be energised and encouraged from families and the society to take on new and exciting challenges in the world of science."
According to Dr Rubhana Raqib, Senior Scientist, Infectious Diseases Division at icddr.b, who has three global patents to her name, "Women are a major part of the population and of the working force and are performing very well in the academic area in our country. Therefore, they can play an integral role in the scientific arena too. Our country is lagging behind in science and technology, and without strong contribution from women in this field, we will fall behind even further. Scientific research is very much needed in almost every field starting from agriculture to public health to factories. A working mother can inspire her daughter the most. Change in attitude and overcoming stereotype will make a difference."
A very promising research investigator at icddr,b, Dr Kamrun Nahar Koly, who has recently won the “Mental Health Team of the Year' at the British Medical lournal Award South Asia-2017, has a different view. She says, "The disparity also stems from the lack of focus on research
and scientific endeavours in undergrad medical curriculum. It stresses on clinical aspects, while research and innovation are subdued. The challenge remains even after choosing a scientific career due to irregular working hours, field activities which often involved working in less-than-safe environments in rural and slum communities, and also conflicting commitment between work and personal life including child rearing. These often cause women to opt out of a scientific career path. However, the scenario is changing and I believe proper nurturing and creating conducive environment both in family and work will enable women to sustain in this exciting field of science."
It is true that women can also find many insurmountable barriers, but "choice" and "tenacity" and early contemplation can lead to a successftil career in science. A recent report by World Economic Forum (WEF), called the Future of Jobs, highlights that a rising number of jobs will come from STEM fields, where women are grossly underrepresented.
The fact is, women are equally capable of contributing to Bangladesh's scientific research and innovation, and their progress should not be impeded because of anyone's personal bias and prejudice. We need more women in science and need to do more for that. Bangladeshi women are hardworking and will also thrive in science and innovation and lead the nation from the front.
Catherine Spencer Is Director of Communications and Change Management at Icddr.b. AKM Tariful Islam Khan Is Media Manager, Communications, lcddr,b.