The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for 2022, the Indian government’s most prestigious science award for young scientists, was finally announced after a year-long gap. However, the initial excitement was tempered by the distinct lack of women scientists. All 12 winners were men.
This isn’t just an isolated incident; it’s part of a larger pattern that reveals systemic bias within the scientific community—and its awards processes. No matter how you crunch the numbers, they reveal a long-standing gender bias in the awards.
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes have been presented since 1958, and yet, out of 583 awardees in total, only 19 have been women. That’s slightly over 3 percent of the total awards, a paltry number considering the contributions of women to the scientific field.
It’s the equivalent of awarding one woman every three years when an average of about nine prizes are handed out each year. In simpler terms, for every 27 men who received this prestigious honour, only one woman is deemed worthy.
It’s reductionist to simply explain this away by pointing to the underrepresentation of women in pure science. And even though the trend is slowly reversing, women account for just 16.6 per cent of total researchers in the country. But it’s hard to accept that there wasn’t a single eligible candidate.
What’s more, the representation argument falls flat when we realise that the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes are intended for younger scientists under 45 years, meant to reflect current scientific trends and achievements. If the pipeline issue existed in the past, it should no longer be a valid excuse for the present gender disparity.
In fact, this is the first time in the history of the prize that the director of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), who approves the Advisory Committees that guide the selection process, is a woman.
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Selection bias
The root of the problem may lie in the nomination process. Candidates for the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes can be proposed by a range of individuals and institutions, including government bodies, university officials, leaders of scientific organisations, and previous winners of the awards.
However, when most leadership positions in these organisations are held by men — and most previous awardees are male, it is not surprising that the nominees may also be predominantly male. This is what perhaps is perpetuating a cycle of gender bias in the selection pool.
There needs to be an active, collective effort from institutions, selection committees, and the ministry itself to encourage more nominations of women. We need to recognise that in every professional field, there exists an ‘old men’s club’ – and women may be losing out because of that.
The selection committee itself may also be harbouring bias. It is essential to scrutinise the composition of the committee and their decision-making processes to understand whether unconscious biases are at play. There has to be more transparency in the selection process.
If those responsible for selecting awardees do not represent a diverse and inclusive cross-section of the scientific community, it becomes challenging to ensure equitable recognition. Moreover, the selection committee needs to be made public—committees for such prestigious awards should not be veiled under secrecy. Bringing transparency to the selection committee will, to some extent, bring more diversity in the awardees as well.
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Recognise talent
Addressing the gender bias in the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes is not just a matter of fairness; it is about recognising and fostering talent regardless of gender. Women have made significant contributions to science, and their achievements deserve equal acknowledgment. Furthermore, gender diversity in scientific awards can serve as a powerful motivator for young women considering careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The future of this six-decade-old award is also uncertain. Last year, the Narendra Modi government discontinued over 300 science awards given by different departments within the science ministry. Along with this, the delay in announcing the 2022 winners of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes left the academic community wondering if this award would also be discontinued.
Recipients currently receive a cash award of Rs 5 lakh and a special honorarium of Rs 15,000 a month until that person reaches 65 years of age. However, there was a proposal to cap the honorarium payment at 15 years or replace it with a lump sum amount, but no final decision was taken on this.
Instead, the government is looking at constituting a “Nobel Prize-like” science award called ‘Vigyan Ratna’. But first, let’s rectify this gender bias – and not by constituting separate awards for women. And it starts with selection committees. They should be diverse and inclusive, with people from different genders, religions, castes, and age groups.
Women in science is no longer a rare occurrence. Their names appearing in award lists should not be exceptions that occur once every three years.
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(Edited by Prashant)