Increasing
the quota of women in research transcends the clamor for gender mainstreaming;
it is all about improving productivity and efficiency, says IITA Director
General Dr Nteranya Sanginga.
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Addressing women staff members in
Ibadan, Dr Sanginga said the need to increase the population
of women in IITA was driven by the productivity of women staff which had proven
to be above their male counterparts over the years.
Citing an instance at the
Threshing Building— a unit involved in the threshing of crops such as maize,
soybean, cowpea, and rice―Dr Sanginga said out of a workforce of over 100 in
that unit, 30 percent are women, but in terms of output, they account for more
than 70 percent.
“Another example that comes to
mind is the IITA Women’s Group that is involved in charitable programs
including donations to orphanages, community development, and the provision of
scholarships.”
The Director General described the
women workforce as productive but yet to be fully tapped resource.
He called on women to come out of
their shells and aspire for higher positions.
“You need to be excellent in
whatever you are doing... You need to be innovative,” he said.
But like elsewhere, challenges
abound that limit the performance of the women folk.
For
instance, several young working mothers have children and husbands to take care
of. For many, taking higher positions that would compromise the care of their
children is a non-starter.
Another challenge is the cultural
perception which sees women as weaker vessels and has cast a shadow of an
inferiority complex on women, especially in the African context. In this wise
some women see some jobs as “no go areas for them” and in some cases the Human
Resources Unit is compelled to invite only men as women don’t apply.
This is why Dr Sanginga charged
the women: “Apply for positions... Don’t be shy.”
As
positive sentiment across several organizations to increase the quota of women
grows, several organizations have different propositions to address this
challenge of low populations of women.
In IITA,
the key is for women to muster more courage than ever before and participate in
project execution to ensure that IITA meets its delivery goals. “If we are able
to meet our delivery targets, I will not hesitate to employ more women. But if we fail to meet our project execution targets, we
will have no option but to downsize,” Dr Sanginga said.
In less
than 2 years, IITA has doubled its annual budget and there are still prospects
for growth. Dr Sanginga said the energy from the women is needed now to ensure
that the Institute meets its obligations, emphasizing that “if you (women) take
care of IITA, IITA will take care of you.”
“We need to further our
education,” Mrs Kafilat Odesola, IITA Scientist, said, emphasising that such
opportunities would not compromise research, “because women can multitask and
do a hundred things at the same time.”
Besides the challenge of
furthering their education, women at the forum also voiced out other
limitations.
However, Dr (Mrs) Bussie
Maziya-Dixon, IITA Crop Utilisation Specialist, noted that climbing the
corporate ladder would entail women setting their priorities right. “Women
should know what they want. What you want to achieve at 30... What you want to
achieve at 40 etc. I have seen a lot of women who come with the ambition to do
a PhD. And the supervisor looks for funds because he/she knows that if he/she
educates a woman, he/she is actually educating 20 people at a go. But in the
middle of the program when the boyfriend comes and says we are getting married,
she drops everything just like that. So my advice is: “know what you want as an
individual and pursue it.”
Corroborating Dr Maziya-Dixon’s
position, Mrs Bukky Adeyemo, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director General
(Corporate Services), encouraged women not to look at limitations if they wanted
to be at par with the male counterparts.
“I remember working in IITA years
back with my little children (2, 3 years old), and sometimes closing at 8.00
pm. But I was determined to do the job because that is what it entailed. So we
just have to be determined and tackle the challenges that come,” she said.
The committee, which has strong
institutional backing, plans to raise the number of women staff by 50 percent
over the next 3 years. At the moment, women represent 22 percent of Nationally Recruited Staff and 30 percent of
Internationally Recruited Staff according to April 2013 recruitment figures
from the Institute.
The committee met and
pledged to work with IITA management to ensure:
• Gender
balance for short term staff.
• Training
for women which could be in the form of mentorship, training, and seminars
• Women
are given the opportunity to further their studies (possibility of study leave
for female staff members).
• Introduction
of flexi-time for workers, particularly crèche workers. (The crèche could be
open after working hours and on Saturdays).
• Promoting
IITA as a good family company to work for to potential female candidates.
In the area of women taking senior
management/leadership roles, the women promised to work with the IITA
management in the following areas:
• Mentorship/guidance
counseling to women staff
• Heads
of unit to encourage women to take on more responsibility that will enhance
their careers
• There
should be good dissemination of information among women on potential openings
in the Institute
• Encourage
career advancement
• Conduct
empowerment seminars
The women
also went ahead to constitute committees that would implement the
promised/pledged actions.
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