Gender, diversities and unconscious bias: how to master the playground rules in Academia

A Bangladesh Viewpoint

60 years celebration of the International Science Programme of Uppsala University, 10 September, 2021

BangladeshArea:150.000 sqkmPopulatiom: 168 millionDensity:1240 per sq km

Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina

Parliament SpeakerDr. Shireen Sharmin

Chowdhury

Leader of OppositionRaushon Ershad

First Female Prime Minister (1991) and leader

of 2nd largest partyKhaleda Zia

Bangladesh leadership: All females at the topmost positions

1952 Language movement (in erstwhile Pakistan)

1971 movement for freedom from Pakistan

Bangladesh Female Awareness

Bangladesh females as Garments Industry workers (from 1970s) Bangladesh females as

Entrepreneurs of Garments Industry after 2010s

Bangladesh females in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Fazilatunnessa BegumThe first woman graduate of Muslim Bengal1925: Bachelors 1927: Masters in Mathematics from newly established Dhaka University. Secured First position in the First class1928: Went to London for higher education1935: Professor of Mathematics, Head of the department, Vice Principal, Bethune College, Kolkata (now in India)Moved to then East Pakistan1948: Principal, Eden Girl’s CollegeContributed greatly to education in Bangladesh

Dr. Firdausi QadriListed among top 100 Asian Scientists by Asian Scientist Magazine in 2021Director, Centre for Vaccine Sciences International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease and Research, Bangladesh

Founding ChairpersonInstitute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives (ideSHi)”, since 2014

Advisor to the UN chief On proposed Technology Bank and Science, Technology and Innovation, since 2014 Awards

• 2012: Fondation Christophe et Rodolphe Mérieux's annual scientific 'Grand Prize', called the "Christophe Mérieux Prize“

• 2020: L'Oréal-Unesco For Women in Science Award.

• 2021: Ramon Magsaysay Award

No Male Scientist in the country reached her status and reputation

Bangladesh females in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Employed Population in Bangladesh 1991 to 2017

Females: still low

46

18

Bangladesh top Civil Administration positionsLate initiation: Still under-represented

Rizwan Khair, Md. Shafiqul Haque and Afia Rahman Mukta, 2017, Gender and Representation of Women in Bangladesh Civil Service: An Empirical Analysis of ‘Glass Ceiling’ Effect, Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre.http://www.bpatc.org.bd/images/document/159_Glass_Ceiling_Research_Report_Draft.pdf

2017Male% Female%

Secretary 86 14 Add Secy 85 15 Joint Secy 88 12 Dy Secy 83 17 Sr Asst Secy 74 26 Asst Secy 68 32 Total 78 22

High

er p

ositi

ons

Defense forcesPolice Security personnel

- Increasing, but natural limitations are there.

Naher et al, 2019, Women in Science and Technology: A study in Bangladesh, Sociology and Anthropology 7(7):306-312; DOI:10.13189/sa.2019.070702

Public PrivateYear Female% Female%

2017 23 28

2016 23 29

2015 22 29

2014 21 29

Dhaka University

Year Female%

2018 24

1921 0

Female Teachers in Universities

All disciplines

Female Teachers in science at Dhaka University

Phys. Sciences

EngSciences

Earth Science

BiolSciences

Pharma-ceutical TOTAL

Professor 26 9 20 27 17 23

Assoc Prof 15 16 9 44 13 23

Asst Prof 14 17 38 40 24 26

Lecturer 23 22 11 53 29 32

Possible factors for lower number of females at higher positions:• Marriage• Family commitments Less time for Research

Attitude of male colleagues:• Universities/educational Institutions: Positive• Administrative: Mixed• Lower positions (in Garment industries):

Mixed, Some harassment from senior males

Male and Female Students participating in Secondary and Higher Secondary Examinations, Dhaka Board, 2015

Male -Female : ~ 50% in each discipline

Gender of Students in Universities

Univ. Type No of Univ. Male Female Female%

Public 40 332,881 186,607 36

Private 95 244,789 92,449 27

Total 135 577,670 279,056 33

Naher et al, 2019, Women in Science and Technology: A study in Bangladesh, Sociology and Anthropology 7(7):306-312; DOI:10.13189/sa.2019.070702

Dhaka University

Year Female%

2018 40

2015 25.6

1921 0

Possible factors for decrease at higher levels of education:• Marriage

Nasrin Siddiqa, Amanda Braga, 2019, Barriers to STEM education for rural girls: A missing link to innovation for a better Bangladesh, ECHIDNA GLOBAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM, POLICY PAPER, OCTOBER 2019. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED602920.pdf

Attitudes of Female Secondary school students towards prospective Occupation, Gazipur District, 2019

1

2

3

4

Nasrin Siddiqa, Amanda Braga, 2019, Barriers to STEM education for rural girls: A missing link to innovation for a better Bangladesh, ECHIDNA GLOBAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM, POLICY PAPER, OCTOBER 2019. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED602920.pdf

Some Salient Features:

• Women used to have a position of respect in society.

• Agriculturist as against hunter gatherer

• Within family women suffered to some extent

• Patriarchal attitudes• Poverty

Category Female%

Chief Scientific Officer 24

Principal Scientific Officer 30

Senior Scientific Officer 30

Scientific Officer 67

Female Scientists at Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission

• Less at higher positions• Similar to that in Universities

Department of Biomedical Physics & TechnologyDhaka University

Our Efforts to promote Female participation through the Gender Balance Programme of ISP

Our Efforts to promote Female participation through the Gender Balance Programme of ISP

Marie Curie Scholarship for Higher Studies-2017

Awardee:Rashida HaqueTopped the list of our Master’s candidates in 2016

We tried to choose suitableresearch items

Rashida’s topic:Non-invasive Breast TumourCharacterisationto determine whether malignant or benign

Rashida Haque (as an example of challenges faced by women in STEM):• Very motivated person and capable• Taken in for PhD • Paid a Scholarship from ISP• Continued for two years full time, performed very well• Had to take leave as she had her first baby• Resumed work• Joined a full time Job in a Government Office (Science Museum) • Research continued but had to assume a back seat

Why couldn’t Women keep up in STEM at higher positions?

• Marriage

• Lack of targeted outputs in STEM

The latter is the same for all - both males and females• Hardly any motivation for research once a person gets employed

• Males continue as they are bread-earners for the family

• Publication in Journals becomes the prime motivation

• Education is promoted as a ladder for self-interest

• No motivation for applying the knowledge and expertise to enhance the quality of life of the common people

In Indian subcontinent, the Aryan Invasion created a divide betweenscience and technology, not only topical, but social – the CASTE system

(Nothing to do with religion – was a social planning)

BRAHMINReligion, Science

KSHATRIYAWarriors

VAISHYATraders

SUDRAFarming, Crafts,

Technology, Industry

Scie

nce

& Te

chno

logy

DIV

IDE Brahmin

Vaishya

Kshatriya

Sudra

• In the West, no such social segregation happened

• Science also explored the soil and the earth

• Led to improved technology, improving quality of life of common people

• Improved technology led to newer discoveries in science as well

Science (Astronomy) was heralded Applied research, Technology, industry,

looked down uponWas an ancient mindset? No.

Fast forward to Twentieth Century: This mindset still prevails and affects choice of research at universities.

We experienced it first handStarted Bio-Medical Physics research at Physics deptof Dhaka University in 1978 …

BrahminScience

KSHATRIYAWarriors

VAISHYATraders

SudraTechnology, Industry

Look Down upon

Moving on with why are we lagging behind?

Next comes the history of the British Colonial rule:

o Made imports duty freeo Imposed high Excise duty on local productso Ruled that no machinery be imported (so that no quality

improvement is possible)Results:o Destruction of indigenous industry o Created corrupt bureaucrats/tax collectors/ harassment of

indigenous small industryo Created rich importers/ traders

After Independence ?o These rich importers influenced overall tax policies, against indigenous industryo Corrupt bureaucracy saw to it that the registration requirements, taxes and

regulations are made impractical and difficult for small industry – creating scope for rent seeking

RESULTS Importers got richer Rich people with no technology background, took bank loans (peoples’ money) set

up large & medium industry, entirely with foreign technology. They do NOT need local science & technology.

Not a single indigenous industry in limelight in Light Engineering & Electronics

Without indigenous industry infrastructure, science & technology research could not get roots, nor a target

Cultural barriers: Educated Bangalee Syndrome (my nomenclature):

o ‘Lekha pora korey jey, Gari Ghora Chorey Shey’ - ‘one who studies, can ride horses and cars’ – self-centred target – ingrained in our brains

o Thus education distanced us from the common masses – away from the soils

o We think: All benefits in life are for us, not for the common people. They are to feed us, serve us, does not matter if they suffer or die.

We should look at the mirror ourselves

Impact of such mindset on Research:

o Research for publication, career, fame self-centred goals

o Universities/Organisations tag career improvement to publications only – not to success in implementation for society, or for entrepreneurship (held as illegal?)

o Having PhDs abroad, we ‘see’ research as that something that exists ‘there’ and try to continue the same on return.

o This makes us dependent on extremely expensive foreign instruments (at expense of poor).

o Research stops as soon as some instruments go wrong

We are building on gas balloons that collapse frequently

– even after 100 yrs of DU.

Impact on Research of such mindset, contd …o We hear about ‘University - Industry interaction’ buzz word in the West,

but we only look towards the foreign technology based large ones, which do not need our talents.

o On the other hand, we do not count the indigenous small industry at all in our purview, which could benefit from our knowledge, and we could benefit in getting appropriate and useful research problems.

We couldn’t connect research to roots of our own soil

Even after 100 years of Dhaka University:May we ask ourselves?How much of our science & technology research has helped the lives of these common people who fed us, provided money for our education and research?

How to go about?

My suggestionsRemedies for Science & Technology Research in Bangladesh

o A single Ministry for combined Science, Technology, Micro and Small Industry

o Scientists should lobby with the Govt. to remove obstacles from indigenous small industries (the entrepreneurs cannot get access to the policy makers)

o Orient university research to existing indigenous Micro and Small [not medium or large!] industry (even PhD research is possible).

o Career improvements should be tagged to above.

o Consider journal publication as a by-product, not the main target.

We do not need large funds if research is done with small industry, most equipment can be made locally at very low cost

Development should be incremental, not ‘leap frogging’. Will give a strong anchor to the roots.

Suggestions for Science & Technology Research in Bangladesh

o Scientists (innovators) should take responsibility to implement their research outcomes, as outreach programmes, or as Entrepreneurs. Otherwise innovations fail.

o Job conditions and legislations need to be changed so that scientists can become entrepreneurs in parallel

o University departments should have permanent Research posts – like ‘Research Fellows, Research Lecturers to Research Professors’, otherwise research continuity cannot be maintained.

Female Scientists need some special environment:

1. Well maintained separate toilets

2. Baby care centre within walking distance of every department

3. Appropriate leave during and after prgnancy