Defined by Absence: Women and Research in South Asia

There is a closing of the gender gap in many parts of the world in terms of female access to education and enrolments at various levels of secondary and tertiary level. The World Economic Forum recently found that 105 countries had become more gender equal since 20051 , although female representation in the global workforce is still very poor. Indeed, in South Asia, the numbers of women in the workforce are in decline. As a result, there are critical roles—such as research positions—in which women are disappearing altogether. Yet it is widely acknowledged that the role women play as researchers is critical to the quality of the research outcome. This fact is underlined by the push by governments and large research bodies to address this gender imbalance as a matter of urgency.