African Women as Research Leaders
Marisa McKasson, intern for the East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative at CEGA, interviews our Spring 2019 EASST fellows for a more personal look at the perspectives of African women in research. Muthoni Alice Ng’ang’a, PhD candidate at the University of Nairobi, and Dr. Grace Mhalu, research scientist at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, share their experiences working at the intersection of economics and public health.
Data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics indicate that only 28.8% of researchers employed in research and development (R&D) globally are women. This is problematic — as a WHO report outlines, women’s underrepresentation “has consequences for development [and] research. In the area of infectious diseases of poverty, for example, the dearth of women scientists often means a lack of diverse perspectives essential to addressing gender dimensions and the burden of infectious diseases, which often disproportionately affect women.”
Meanwhile, an Elsevier report claims that African research publications make up less than 1% of global research. Taken together, these facts point to African women being largely left out of the global research conversation, with potentially harmful consequences for development.
Several initiatives aim to bridge these gaps. The Mawazo Institute is dedicated to “support[ing] the next generation of female thought leaders and scholars in Africa” through research fellowships and mentorship opportunities. The Organization for Women in Science in the Developing World (OWSD) provides women scientists with research funding opportunities. CEGA’s EASST Collaborative, while not restricted to women, makes efforts to recruit as many talented women researchers as possible.
An interview with two Spring 2019 EASST fellows, Muthoni Ng’ang’a and Grace Mhalu, helped illuminate the possibility of an academic career for African women full of positive experiences. Their responses, outlined below, showcase the individual perspectives they will add to the research literature while providing hope for a more inclusive future.
What drew you to academic research as a career choice?
Muthoni (M): I was teaching accounting, but I loved Economics more. I was not allowed to teach economics without a Masters, so I immediately enrolled in my Masters and I just loved Economics — so as soon as I qualified to teach Economics, I just dropped accounting. In Development Economics, you can research education, agriculture, and more.
Grace (G): I met my advisor at the research institute where I started working after university. My advisor encouraged me and said, “You can do science. You can do more than public health. You can do more.” So I finished my masters degree, realized research was really cool, and with the help of my advisor I pursued a PhD position outside of Tanzania.
While pursuing a Masters and PhD, what share of your cohort were women?
M: For my PhD, we were 6 for that particular class, and interestingly enough, there was only one guy. We did not have any female university professors, but the director of the program was a female professor, and she is actually the one that ran the first research project I worked on.
G: We were 20 in my class for my Masters degree, and only 3 girls. I did not have any female professors. The guys in our class were very protective of the 3 girls, and it was very encouraging. Although we were few, I did not feel discouraged or like I was less, I felt safe. During the 3 or 4 years of my PhD, I only had one female professor.
Do you think your gender has affected your experience pursuing a career in research/academia?
G: I never felt like because I was female I could not perform. Even the male professors were happy to have females in the class, I did not ever feel like I was treated differently.
M: No.
G: Things are changing.
Having diversity in research is important because it makes the literature more inclusive of varied perspectives. What new perspective do you believe you add or hope to add to the research literature with your work?
M: Female farmers often have lower rates of agricultural technology adoption than men — I think this could be due to differences between men’s and women’s access to important agricultural information. Usually, lead farmers (who are the messengers of information about agricultural extension technology) are male, and this might be a barrier to female farmers fully accessing the information. I am writing about the impact of matching female-lead farmers with female farmers, to see if this helps close the gaps in access to agricultural knowledge, and then to see if that has an impact on the adoption of agricultural technology.
G: I do not know if it is a coincidence, but I am also focused on gender. My research has focused on gender issues within TB — I look at how health-seeking behavior, diagnosis, and adherence differs between men and women.
Do you have any advice for aspiring female researchers in Africa?
G: Have an open mind. Expand your horizons and your perspective. Explore and apply for opportunities even if you do not know that you will get them.
M: We can all do it. Collaborations are good because they help us all grow.
