#IDWGS Essay - Women and girls in science leadership by Payal Sharma

Women and Girls in Science Leadership - a New Era  of Sustainability 

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN ANCIENT TIMES 

In India, the idea of Ardhanareshwar is revered, it is made up of 3 words - Ardha, Nari and  Ishwara, which means the lord whose half is a woman. Ardhanareshwar represents the synthesis  of masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and illustrates how  Shakti, the female principle of God, is inseparable from Shiva, the male principle of God, and  vice versa. Nature is referred to as Mother Nature since it is parallel to a mother. Women  naturally possess the quality of sustainability 

Indian culture has always admired a female. In Hindu mythology, goddess Saraswati is  considered as goddess of science and not just these, during the Vedic era, female intellectuals  like Gargi and Maitreyi made significant contributions to the realm of education. 

Great scholars like Gargi and Maitreyi are on one side of the issue, but it is also important to  acknowledge that women's rights and advantages were gradually taken away from them. They  could no longer undergo the upnayan sanskar, hence made ineligible to receive education. This  further made them ineligible to chant Vedic mantras or perform sacrifices. Because they were  denied their rights and had insufficient means, women were forced to live at a disadvantage to  men. 

CONTRIBUTION OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 

As time went on and reformers like Jyotirao and Savitri Bai Phule worked for change, a number  of reforms were implemented, and girl education gained importance throughout time. As  awareness grows, girls are no longer limited to domestic duties; instead, they are offered a  diverse upbringing and are participating in a range of activities that were formerly the sole  domain of boys. Girls are nowadays stronger represented than at any time in a number of fields,  including science. 

When we talk specifically about science, then we have great examples like: 

1. Anna Mani: She was an Indian physicist and meteorologist, before anyone knew the  functions of the ozone layer, Mani began measuring atmospheric ozone in 1960. She  created the ozonesonde, a device that measures atmospheric ozone. She is famously  known as the weather lady of India. 

2. Kalpana Chawla: Chawla was the first Indian woman to go in space. Women and  children have found inspiration in astronaut Kalpana Chawla both before and after her  untimely death. She was an astronaut, pilot, and engineer who flew two Space Shuttle  missions and spent more than 30 days in space. 

3. Asima Chatterjee: Indian organic scientist Asima Chatterjee is renowned for her  contributions to phytomedicine and organic chemistry. Her study on vinca alkaloids, the 

creation of anti-epileptic medications, and the creation of anti-malarial medications are  among her most noteworthy accomplishments. 

 These are just a few illustrations of Indian scientists; there are many more like them  if we explore the globe. Despite this, there is still a noticeable gender difference for a variety of  factors, such as illiteracy, patriarchal society etc. The report titled “Women in STEM: A CSIR  survey towards gender parity,” conducted by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research  (CSIR)-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR), shed light  on gender disparities within the scientific community. The survey also revealed gender  disparities in project management and finance. Women-driven in-house projects regularly  received lower financial support than those managed by men. 

In a society such as India, the powers are identified with women and equated with Shakti; such a  culture has taken female rights and has moved towards a male-dominated society. Whatever  profession a woman is in, she demonstrates that nature would not be the same without them and  that sustainability is deeply rooted in them. Speaking particularly about science, science  facilitates evolution, progress and also makes life easier. Females frequently take care of their  families first, have original thoughts and viewpoints, and frequently initiate change on many  fronts. Rural women are the principal agricultural producers, and as such are essential to the food  security of their nation. Additionally, 38% of rural women do not have a source of income of  their own; they are the ones that labor harder and earn less. This kind of inequity discourages  women from participating in all fields.  

INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND GILRS 

We now know that women's participation is essential to achieve sustainable development, so to  increase the participation in India our government should come up with various policies which  helps in increasing the percentage of girl’s education. The society should change the ideology  that girl’s are met to do household activities and should be restricted from achieving higher  education. 

Many women are proving this ideology of the society wrong by achieving heights in their career  but still these numbers are not enough and hence sustainable development can’t be achieved  without the participation of women. 

I'd want to conclude this essay with a shlok from Sanskrit.  

“नारी समाजस्य कु शलवास्तुकारा।“ 

“Women is the architect of a society” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am a 2nd year law student pursuing B.com. LL.B. from Banasthali Vidyapith. I want to contribute in women empowerment and want to spread awareness relating Girl education so that our country can be headed towards development