Why so few women in top leadership? asks JNU vice-chancellor Santishree D Pandit

NEW DELHI : JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit on Thursday said that ‘Amrit Kal’ cannot come in the country without women empowerment even as she asked why there were so few women in top leadership. She also said the country should think of ways to bring young girls who are forced to leave studies back to education. Pandit was speaking on the inaugural day of a three-day conference and expo organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

"We are third in the country and the best in terms of inclusion and equality … The idea behind the conference which has greatly impressed me is facilitating innovation from ‘Lab to Land’,” she said. The VC also claimed that women's problems like menstruation, menopause or any other thing does not get much attention in research. "They (Women students) do very well at the entry-level, both as faculty and as students. But something happens at the middle and the higher level. Why are so many women not in a position of leadership?" she wondered.

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STREE2020 Conference and Expo is organised jointly by JNU and Shakti, an NGO that works for women empowerment. The programme is dedicated to ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ – a government initiative launched to celebrate 75 years of Indian independence from the British. The conference is being held at the JNU Convention Centre and will continue till Saturday.

Addressing a press conference, Professor Ranjana Arya, the conference organiser, said: "The main objective of the conference is to promote women's contributions in various sectors of science and entrepreneurship through an exchange of ideas, the presentation of technical achievements and the discussion of future directions." "The main focus is to encourage the dissemination of scientific innovations and the outreach of women to achieve sustainable development," Arya said.

The expo will showcase women-friendly technologies from the DST, DBT, CSIR, Ayush and various women startups, as well as scientists from across the country. The open forum sessions will allow young researchers and women participants to interact with academicians, entrepreneurs, and women farmers from rural areas. The conference is an opportunity for the press to explore news and feature stories about sustainable development, gender equality and entrepreneurship, the varsity in a statement said.