Kolkata : On 7th March 2012, in a seminar for the celebration of World Women’s Day at the Heritage Academy Kolkata, Dr. Madhumita Sen, Head of the Department of Sociology, Maulana Azad College in her speech on “Reflections on the need of women in academic leadership” commented that today’s women needs to lobby to stay in the system and create a visibility in the Indian Higher education Sector. She told that majority decision in the education sector happens in the higher education level and according to her, today’s women are loosing visibility in the decision making level in the academic institutions of India. As per the 2011 census report, the total effective literacy rate in India is 74.04% which is 10% higher in compare to the last year but the women literacy rate has been 65.5% which is 20% lower than the previous year. As per the recent UGC data, out of 70 vice-chancellors administrating different universities in India, 9 are women and out of 367 deans, 50 are women. Why the percentage in literacy is so less and why women leadership in academic institutions are less? Dr. Sen told that this is because today’s women are burdened with family and work pressure. The socialization system of India had taught us that we are women, said Dr. Sen.  According to her, the administrative system in a higher education institution is not flexible for women employees and for that various measures has to be taken by the board members like sensitize selection committee for non-sexist interviewing, establishment of creche in colleges so that women employees should be encouraged to work efficiently, framing women friendly recruitment policies, publishing gender segregated data, relaxation in age limit and many more. Also today’s women have to grab the position of leadership in academic institutions by inculcating networking and lobbying skills, effective time management skills and negotiation skills.

In the same seminar, Dr. Amites Mukherjee, Associate Professor, Liberal Arts, Ambedkar University Delhi, also spoke about significance of women’s day by emphasizing more on women empowerment.  He gave the example of Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist who worked for women empowerment during the Chipko Movement by involving women staying in villages and hinterlands who are uneducated and are regularly exploited by the political system of India. According to Dr. Mukherjee, Women’s Day will become more meaningful if we can work for those uneducated and exploited women who are staying in villages, hinterlands and bastis in India.