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