New Delhi: Eminent women leaders in science and technology underlined the need for a change in the mindset of people to end stereotyping of women and give them due respect and recognition.
      
Several panel discussions were held by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to mark International Women's Day on Monday.
    
Speaking at one such panel discussion, Anita Gupta, Adviser and Head, National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) urged the women to take charge of their lives.
    
She observed that girls have good secondary school results, but the leaking pipeline at later stages is mainly because of the mindset and attitude towards women.
    
Maan Singh Sidhu, Science, Technology and Higher Education Counsellor, Royal Norwegian Embassy in India, highlighted that women are the half population of the world, and they cannot be out of the science technology ecosystem.
    
“Leadership development programmes, changes in curriculum to attract girls and policy for gender balance in research are some of the ways that could help increase the number of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and we have implemented these programmes for improvement,” he said.
    
On problems faced by women while breaking into the STI (Science, Technology, Innovation) ecosystem, Tonya Blowers, Programme Coordinator, Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), said though efforts are being made at various levels, a lot still needs to be done to encourage women in this field.
    
In another webinar, experts highlighted the need to address the challenges faced by women to increase their participation in science and technology.
    
“Gender inequality is an international issue and needs to be voiced in the larger multilateral and plurilateral platforms. The United Nations theme of this International Women's day-- Women in Leadership--needs to be understood both in its context and content,” Sanjay Kumar Verma, Ambassador of India to
Japan said.
    
Comparing gender inequality to a bicycle which cannot run on one wheel, Secretary DST, Ashutosh Sharma, said participation of both women and men are necessary for development and progress of the country and society.
    
“Our focus is on creating next-generation role models for women and encouraging women leadership in science, technology, and innovation.
    
“We have launched Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI), which would help make systemic change at institutional level. We want to create an environment where academia, industry, and R&D labs provide confidence and opportunity to women, encourage women in innovation, start-ups and help them explore their full potential,” he added.
    
In another webinar, former ISRO scientist Anuradha T K shared her journey from a humble middle-class family, being schooled in her mother tongue from a village school to reaching the position of a senior-most female scientist at India's space agency.
    
She talked about the importance of teaching basic principles, including self-respect and freedom of choice, in decision-making.
    
“If you have the passion, you can achieve, but for achieving greater goal, you have to give up on small things. It is only you who can pursue your dreams, nobody else is going to achieve them for you,” she added.