Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani told the Indian Science Congress (ISC) that prejudice against women scientists “dramatically exists” and doing away with it is a fundamental challenge that needs to be addressed.
Noting that science does not preach or teach prejudice, she said science for everyday women was something that should be encouraged.
A very famous physicist had once said that science can enrich plutonium but cannot enrich the hearts of men. I find that to be very honestly true to this day. For if science couldn’t enrich the hearts of men, we would not need a separate Women’s Science Congress.
Inaugurating the 5th Women’s Science Congress here as part of the ongoing 103rd five-day ISC, she said:
Science does not preach or teach prejudice, it helps us understand differentiation between beings and encourages us to celebrate that diversity.
She mentioned that no school-going child in the country in this day and age would be able to name an Indian female scientist.
As we look to address the challenges that female scientists face, first and foremost, we need to engage with our children at the school level and tell them the remarkable contribution made by female scientists of Indian origin. That is the challenge that I hope to address at the earliest.
Irani said the latest report of the All India Survey for Higher Education was extremely encouraging as it showed that predominantly there was an increase of girls who seek admissions to institutions of higher education. However, she added that more women are yet to be accommodated in the teaching community and another big challenge women face is to getting a doctorate degree.
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