The document discusses the underrepresentation of women scientists in Africa and strategies to address it. It notes that including more women scientists can make research more relevant and policy more responsive. However, women face institutional barriers and social challenges that limit their participation. Increasing women in science requires addressing both supply-side issues, like inclusive research practices, and demand-side issues, like ensuring women's voices are at the policy table. Tracking data on women scientists in Africa can help benchmark progress over time.

1. Making research relevant for policy and development
Enhancing the role and capacity of women scientists
to influence change
Training workshop
The art of influencing policy change:
Tools and strategies for researchers
February 12-14, 2013
12-
Margaret Kroma

2. Ag ricu ltu ra l Eco n o m ics
Ag ro n o m y
An im a l
Bio d ive rs ity
C ro p S cie n ce
E co lo g y
E n to m o lo g y
E xte n s io n
Fis h e rie s
Fo o d /N u tritio n
Fo re s try
Mo le cu la r B io lo g y
N a tu ra l R e s o u rce Ma n a g e m e n t
S o il S cie n ce
W a te r/Irrig a tio n
Oth e r
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Fe m a le Ma le

3. Distribution of Female shares of professional staff by discipline mix,
2007/08
Agricultural economics
Agronomy
Animal science
Biodiversity
Crop science
Ecology
Entomology
Extension
Fisheries
Food/nutritional science
Forestry
Molecular biology
Natural resource management
Soil science
Water/irrigation
Other
Total
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Female shares in total research staff (percentage)
Adapted from Beintema and DiMarcantino, 2010 based on ASTI/IFPRI
data

4. Why it matters: Women in science and technology
Shared cultural
Half human location
capital
potential
Representation Women scientists
underutilized challenge Bring a unique
insights to
Relevance research
challenge
Research problem
Science and focused and
Technology Research aligned to
Need increase in challenges women
number of routinely face in
women development
scientists around Sustainability
policy table
challenge

5. 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 alienation
– Work-life balance challenges:

6. 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
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.

7. 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
South Africa
Mozambique
Botswana
Kenya
Uganda
Nigeria
Burundi
Zambia
Senegal
Ghana
Malawi
Ethiopia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Female share (%)
In total students enrolled In total professional staff
Adapted from Beintema and DiMarcantino, 2010 based on ASTI/IFPRI
data

8. Shift in gender gap with career advancement (10 countries),
2007/8
100
Male Female 85%
80 72%
71%
Female share (percentage)
65% 65%
60
40
34% 35% 35%
27%
20
17%
0
Students (10) Graduates (10) PS/ST (10) SPL (10) M (10)
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)

9. 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;
• 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.

10. 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.
Gender equity in science and technology education;
Making the science and technology decision-making
more gender responsive.

11. Closing the information and knowledge gap on African women in
S&T I
Sample Ghana factsheet: 2008
Track-Learn-Adjust
Benchmarking study
Distribution of l science researchers by discipline in
on status of African the NARS
women scientists in A g r i c u l tu r a l E c o n o m i c s
SSA (ASTI-IFPRI) Ag ro n o m y
A n im a l
B i o d i v e r s i ty
C ro p S c ie n c e
E c o lo g y
E n to m o l o g y
E x te n s i o n
F is h e rie s
F o o d /N u tr i ti o n
F o r e s tr y
M o le c u la r B io lo g y
N a tu r a l R e s o u r c e M a n a g e m e n t
S o il S c ie n c e
W a t e r /I r r i g a ti o n
O th e r
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
F e m a le M a le