Only a third of researchers globally are women- study shows

“It was difficult for me to convince my husband that a PhD is a great pursuit for us as a family. In one of the conversations we had, he drew the line. I was either going to be a wife and tend to our four children or leave and concentrate on my PhD,” one of the women scholars shared. 

“Workload, childbirth and the constant demands of marriage and family are major reasons why I am lagging,” says a PhD student, who has spent seven years doing the PhD programme.
“I was frustrated by my supervisor. She hardly gives me enough time to take me through the rigorous research work, makes me feel like I am not good enough for the programme and trashes my work all the time,” another scholar chipped in.

“My job is too demanding. I am always exhausted. That is why I pulled out. But I have been motivated and I am considering giving it another shot,” she said.  
One after another, women in science shared challenges they encounter as they navigate the academic, leadership, work-life and job spaces, as part of activities to mark the International Women’s Day in Arusha, Tanzania. 

According to University World News, in a report published in 2023, titled Women still ‘grossly’ under-represented as academic leaders, in Africa’s top 97 universities, only 21 per cent have women chancellors, 14 per cent have women vice-chancellors and 26 per cent have women registrars. 
While women comprise nearly half of the world’s population, they remain underrepresented in the field of research globally. 

Major challenges 
Dr Sarah Ssali, associate professor and Dean of the School of Gender Studies at Makerere University, highlights underrepresentation, slow career growth, few women in leadership, few role models, understaffing, and heavy teaching loads, as some of the major challenges women researchers across Africa face. 

“At Makerere University, for example, graduate school statistics show that 52 per cent of students are pursuing Law and Humanities, while a paltry 15 per cent are doing science courses. Even when many students graduate with an undergraduate degree, a very insignificant percentage of those women are interested in going for masters and later PhDs,” she adds.

Judith Awacorach, a lecturer at Gulu University and a PhD student, says navigating work, studies, business, and family can be a daunting task for women in research.

“Sharing success stories of women who have made it in the research space, motivates us to be the best we can be,” she says.  

Only a third 
According to Ulla Næsby Tawiah, the director Danida Fellowship Centre, only one-third of researchers, globally are women. She believes promoting more women’s perspectives in research will boost the quality of gender-inclusive solutions.
 “All diverse ideas have to be represented in the research we do. Gender-inclusive research drives innovation and collective problem-solving,” she emphasises. 

More than 50 senior and junior women researchers, professors, lecturers, and industrial practitioners, who are implementing various research projects across Africa, attended the Women in Science seminar. 
Participants came from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Ghana, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Denmark. 
Tawiah said the event was a space for women to share research challenges, mentor, learn from others, network and most importantly, ensure that the voices of women are heard. 

“We want women to collaborate and collectively find solutions to research challenges. This can only happen if there is an enabling environment to support them to publish more articles and learn from others,” she adds. 
Tawiah observes that diverse perspectives influence questions asked, methods of data collection employed and analysis of the problems outlined.  

In 2022, 114 applications for development research funds were submitted. Only 18 per cent of those were from women, but 33 per cent of the 21 granted projects were headed by women. 
In 2023, 128 applied for research grants and 27 percent were from women. About 34 per cent of the woman applicants were successful. “The picture can be reversed if we put our minds to it,” she emphasises.  

The quota system
Despite the challenges, Prof Ssali is quick to say there is a ray of hope. “Three years ago, universities in Uganda introduced a 30 percent quota system for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” she adds. 
Launched in 2020, the science, technology and innovation policy (STIP), incorporates a grading system based on merit and performance, allowing 30 percent quota for women in decision-making positions and offers gender neutral rules and recommendations to make the daily workday easier. 

Ssali says women in science require institutional support, daycare and lactation centres, grants, and gender representation to enable them to thrive. She wants to see more women as principal investigators of several research projects and work towards increasing the existing body of knowledge. 

 Currently, South Africa has more women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and women-led initiatives in place compared to other countries in Africa. Proper mentorship, training programmes and substantial funding, scholars say, would greatly facilitate students’ timely completion

The manifesto 
The week-long seminar was crowned by women brainstorming and drafting a manifesto or a document with policy recommendations, addressed to researchers, universities, government ministries, institutions, donors and politicians, aimed at promoting more women in research. 
Experts say research is critical in the development and productivity of any nation. The Sustainable Development Goals also promote research in all fields. 

Throughout the week, women participated in sessions on designing and implementing gender-sensitive research budgets, publishing journals and articles, policy brief writing, tips on how to access research funding, as well as mentorship. 
Change in society, researchers say, requires support, new systems, processes, new ideas and collaboration across sectors, disciplines, organisations and borders.  

African pressing issues
The event aimed at creating change agents in organisations and communities through new knowledge and skills, as well as building the capacity of organisations to create new sustainable solutions. 
The seminar was designed around an Arusha Debate, a platform that focuses on pressing African issues that demand regional, continental and global policy attention and financial investment. The event unites scholars across Africa and promotes discussions on contemporary global challenges.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Danida Fellowship Centre that offers Danida grants, we are committed to collaborative research projects between Danish universities, research institutions and universities in developing countries,” Tawiah says. 

A robust women's research community brings together people with varied perspectives, experiences, and problem-solving approaches to foster innovation. Addressing such barriers unlocks untapped talent that supports communities to benefit from a range of solutions, skills and expertise.

Supporting women in research, she explains, starts in school, career mentorship struggles that women encounter and having role models. The women in research seminar was organised by the Danida Fellowship Centre and MS TCDC.