Making research relevant for policy and developmentMaking research relevant for policy and developmentEnhancing the role and capacity of women scientistsEnhancing the role and capacity of women scientists
to influence changeto influence change
Training workshop Training workshop TThe art of influencing policy change: he art of influencing policy change: TThe art of influencing policy change: he art of influencing policy change: Tools and strategies for researchersTools and strategies for researchers
February 12February 12--14, 201314, 2013
Margaret Kroma
Fis heries
Extens ion
Entom o logy
Eco logy
C rop Science
Biod ive rs ity
An im al
Agronom y
Agricu ltu ra l Econom ics
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other
Water/Irriga tion
Soil Science
N atura l R es ource Managem ent
Molecu la r Bio logy
Fores try
Food/N utrition
Fis heries
Fem a le Ma le
Forestry
Food/nutritional science
Fisheries
Extension
Entomology
Ecology
Crop science
Biodiversity
Animal science
Agronomy
Agricultural economics
Distribution of Female shares of professional staff by discipline mix, 2007/08
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Total
Other
Water/irrigation
Soil science
Natural resource management
Molecular biology
Forestry
Female shares in total research staff (percentage)
Adapted from Beintema and DiMarcantino, 2010 based on ASTI/IFPRI data
Why it matters: Women in science and technology Why it matters: Women in science and technology
Relevance challenge
Representation challenge
Half human
capital
potential
underutilized
Shared cultural
location
Women scientists
Bring a unique
insights to
research
challenge
Sustainabilitychallenge
Research problem
focused and
aligned to
challenges women
routinely face in
development
Need increase in
number of
women
scientists around
policy table
Science andTechnology Research
Challenges women scientists face in science and technology research
• Institutional challenges:– Exclusionary institutional networks– Review and promotion committees –The Gate-keeper
challenge:
• Social and culturally nuanced challenges:• Social and culturally nuanced challenges:– Social alienation– Work-life balance challenges:
Women scientists: The gap in Africa’s policy arena
• Policy is central to the capacity of countries and their public as well as private sectors to use science and technology for sustainable development;
• However, the effectiveness of the policy in driving sustainable change is directly correlated to the quality (both sustainable change is directly correlated to the quality (both in terms of relevance, diversity and inclusiveness) of the knowledge and ideas supplied;
• The exclusion of African women scientists and practitioners from both the supply and demand side of policy making has until recently been glaring.
Nigeria
Uganda
Kenya
Botswana
Mozambique
South Africa
Shares of female students enrolled and female in professional staff, 2007/8
■ Proportion of women studying agricultural sciences is higher than the share of female agricultural scientists
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Ethiopia
Malawi
Ghana
Senegal
Zambia
Burundi
Female share (%)
In total students enrolled In total professional staff
Adapted from Beintema and DiMarcantino, 2010 based on ASTI/IFPRI data
85%
72%
65%65%71%
60
80
100F
emal
e sh
are
(per
cent
age)
Male Female
Shift in gender gap with career advancement (10 countries),
2007/8
17%
35%
27%
35%34%
0
20
40
Students (10) Graduates (10) PS/ST (10) SPL (10) M (10)
Fem
ale
shar
e (p
erce
ntag
e)
PS/TS indicates professional and technical support staff; SPL includes scientists, (assistant) professors, and (senior) lecturers not in management positions; and M indicates management and includes directors, deans, and department heads. When including all 15 countries, the female share in management positions is lower at 14 percent ( Adapted from Beintema and DiMarcantino, 2009 based on ASTI/IFPRI data)
Supply side implications for increase in women scientists and researchers
• Types of knowledge produced and the relevance of that knowledge for particular groups in society;
• Linking scientific and local knowledge to decision making will ensure a more grounded policy making process; ensure a more grounded policy making process;
• The nature of the research conducted; inclusive research methods that bridge knowledge domains
• Making science responsive to the needs of a more inclusive society; “local knowledge systems and innovation will more likely be enabled to inform decision making.
On the demand side, increasing the numbers of women scientists around the policy table ensures that
• Policy interests and priorities often missing from the policy debates and decisions can have “voice” around the policy table;
• Policy options are made more gender responsive; e.g. • Policy options are made more gender responsive; e.g. Gender equity in science and technology education; Making the science and technology decision-making more gender responsive.
Closing the information and knowledge gap on African women in
S&T I
Track-Learn-Adjust Benchmarking study on status of African women scientists in SSA (ASTI-IFPRI)
E c o l o g y
C r o p S c i e n c e
B i o d i ve r s i ty
A n i m a l
A g r o n o m y
A g r i c u l tu r a l E c o n o m i c s
Sample Ghana factsheet: 2008Distribution of l science researchers by discipline in the NARS
0 % 2 0 % 4 0 % 6 0 % 8 0 % 1 0 0 %
O th e r
W a te r /I r r i g a ti o n
S o i l S c i e n c e
N a tu r a l R e s o u r c e M a n a g e m e n t
M o l e c u l a r B i o l o g y
F o r e s tr y
F o o d /N u tr i t i o n
F i s h e r i e s
E x te n s i o n
E n to m o l o g y
E c o l o g y
F e m a l e M a l e