Female Scientists in India: How Do They Juggle Work-Life Balance and Career Challenges?

Female Scientists: Balancing Work and Personal Life

Female scientists are truly incredible. They walk a tightrope to balance their work life and personal life, facing several challenges such as career breaks, limited opportunities, lack of confidence in pursuing higher positions, early departure from institutes, and scrutiny from others.

Let's delve deeper...

1. Effort

Being a scientist is a profession that demands extensive research, dedication, and diligent efforts. As Nandini pointed out, female scientists often need to exert double the effort compared to male scientists to navigate the delicate balance between family and career.

2. Career Breaks

Women often have to take breaks in their careers due to maternity or other reasons, which can significantly impact their professional trajectories. In addition to this, they experience immense pressure from their families, constantly juggling between these responsibilities.

The situation is equal for scientists, whether male or female, regarding the first point, which is Efforts and Managing Between Family and Career. For the second point, which is Career Breaks, I agree with some situations like maternity leave. However, in my opinion, such situations are manageable with the help of law and guidance from seniors.

Standing Committee for Promoting Women in Science

Mobility Scheme

(Addressing the relocation issue of women scientists)

In 2014, the Department restructured all women-specific programs under one umbrella known as "KIRAN" (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing). KIRAN addresses various issues related to women scientists (e.g., unemployment, relocation, etc.) and aims to provide opportunities in research (WOS-A), technology development/demonstration (WOS-B), and self-employment (WOS-C), among others. KIRAN is also actively involved in taking proactive measures, under the name CURIE (Consolidation of University Research for Innovation and Excellence in Women Universities), to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure in women's universities to attract, train, and retain promising female students in the S&T domain.

In continuation of this, another landmark program, named the "Mobility Scheme," has just been launched under KIRAN. This scheme addresses the relocation issues of women scientists working in regular positions in government organizations. The Mobility Scheme aims to provide opportunities to women scientists facing difficulties in their current jobs due to relocation (marriage, transfer of a husband to another location within the country, attending to ailing parents, or accompanying children studying in a different city). It will act as a filler while they search for other career options in a new place. The initiative intends to provide a harmonious environment during the early phases of women scientists' careers, allowing them to stay active in research while attending to and fulfilling other domestic responsibilities. It offers a contractual research award to women scientists, enabling them to conduct independent research.

Although the tone of the thread seems to be one of complaint, the essence is that women themselves must restore trust in their ability to hold higher positions in any institution. Inevitably, they may have to take a career break, but many women are breaking this stereotype and putting great effort into making their career growth as important as their family.

Supportive Scientific Institutes in India

A few scientific institutes in India that provide great support to women scientists are:
- CSIR - (https://www.eduncle.com/csir-net-exam)
- ISRO
- DRDO - (http://www.drdo.gov.in)Redirecting ...

Regards

Challenges Faced by Women in IT and Other Sectors

The current situation has been highlighted very well. In my view, women in IT and other sectors also face significant challenges. All the predicaments mentioned above are valid for them as well. Some may be fortunate to receive good support from their family or in-laws to help manage professional demands.

Work-life balance will continue to be a topic of discussion until a "9 to 5" culture becomes more prevalent. Even then, support from home will remain a significant factor.

Regards, V.Raghunathan