No real glass ceiling for women

I think there is no glass ceiling. Women, often take a break in their careers, as a result it gets tougher due to the time lag. Department of Biotechnology/ Department of Science and Technology (DBT/ DST) has schemes exclusively designed to cater to the immediate needs of women who wish to re-enter into active research after a break.

In the industry, personally I do not perceive any real blockades/ glass ceilings for women as we see many women in higher corporate positions in the life science domain.

Robust schemes for women as soft loans must be granted to enable a women entrepreneur to be able to crystallise their idea into viable business.

I feel that special schemes have to be implemented by financial institutions (both public and private) to enable women to make/ build a successful enterprise. India requires more technocrats in the knowledge industry and this is only possible if adequate financial backing is given to qualified entrepreneurs.

I firmly believe that anyone venturing into the life sciences field should have a sound knowledge about the field and this will help in making a success of the enterprise. Also, understanding the needs of today and to position yourself accordingly will facilitate to maximise profits and break the ceiling.

International Women’s Day 2013 is just another day on the calendar. The fact that women and men work together to make a success of their business venture is in itself a celebration.

– Dr Jyothsna Rao, Research Director, Sri Raghavendra Biotechnologies