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Lab Hopping: Women Scientists in India
Embark on a one-of-a-kind journey through India's science laboratories in pursuit of the true story behind the gender gap.
From Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj engage in thought-provoking conversations with renowned scientists like Gagandeep Kang, Rohini Godbole, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prajval Shastri, as well as researchers at earlier stages of their scientific careers. These dialogues about the triumphs and challenges faced by women offer fresh perspectives on the gender gap that continues to haunt Indian science today.
Our labs are brimming with inspiring stories of women scientists persisting in science despite facing apathy, stereotypes, and sexism to systemic and organizational challenges. Stories that reveal both a broken system and the attempts by extraordinary women working to fix it. By questioning whether India is doing enough to support its women in science and if western models of science and feminism can truly be applied in India, the authors not only offer a comprehensive examination of the state of women in science but also offer a roadmap for the way forward.
From Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj engage in thought-provoking conversations with renowned scientists like Gagandeep Kang, Rohini Godbole, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prajval Shastri, as well as researchers at earlier stages of their scientific careers. These dialogues about the triumphs and challenges faced by women offer fresh perspectives on the gender gap that continues to haunt Indian science today.
Our labs are brimming with inspiring stories of women scientists persisting in science despite facing apathy, stereotypes, and sexism to systemic and organizational challenges. Stories that reveal both a broken system and the attempts by extraordinary women working to fix it. By questioning whether India is doing enough to support its women in science and if western models of science and feminism can truly be applied in India, the authors not only offer a comprehensive examination of the state of women in science but also offer a roadmap for the way forward.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 24, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 28, 2023
Having read two very heavy women-focused books back to back gives one a very unsettling tummy ache.
I have had unsettling tummy aches before.
When I was 10 and didn't want to go to a new school.
When I was 18 and my uncle asked a just-college-joined girl, 'So, when is marriage?'
When I was 21 and I got into a university in Bengaluru and everyone went into chaos-mode that a lot of education might make me unmarriageable 'material'.
When I was 25 and I got into a university in US and everyone went, 'I told you so' to my parents - a callback on the sanskaariness leaving my body as soon as I entered Bengaluru.
Whenever my mom narrates a particularly trauma-inducing past of hers - a relic of having been a working woman in the 80s despite having the full support of her husband but none so from others.
But, this tummy ache was different. It was my previous tummy aches identifying and relating to all other anxiety-inducing, adrenaline-fueled tummy aches of countless women and other minorities across my country, who dared to like science and dream of a career in it.
And this unsettling tummy ache is of utmost importance. It pushes me to not sleep today and think of possible solutions to this. It pushes me to make this uncomfortableness go away by doing something. Anything.
So, dear readers (particularly men), my wish for you is this: I hope you get the most uncomfortable tummy ache reading this. That's when you know, this book has reached you.
I have had unsettling tummy aches before.
When I was 10 and didn't want to go to a new school.
When I was 18 and my uncle asked a just-college-joined girl, 'So, when is marriage?'
When I was 21 and I got into a university in Bengaluru and everyone went into chaos-mode that a lot of education might make me unmarriageable 'material'.
When I was 25 and I got into a university in US and everyone went, 'I told you so' to my parents - a callback on the sanskaariness leaving my body as soon as I entered Bengaluru.
Whenever my mom narrates a particularly trauma-inducing past of hers - a relic of having been a working woman in the 80s despite having the full support of her husband but none so from others.
But, this tummy ache was different. It was my previous tummy aches identifying and relating to all other anxiety-inducing, adrenaline-fueled tummy aches of countless women and other minorities across my country, who dared to like science and dream of a career in it.
And this unsettling tummy ache is of utmost importance. It pushes me to not sleep today and think of possible solutions to this. It pushes me to make this uncomfortableness go away by doing something. Anything.
So, dear readers (particularly men), my wish for you is this: I hope you get the most uncomfortable tummy ache reading this. That's when you know, this book has reached you.
May 5, 2023
As a post doctoral fellow in biological sciences, this book hit home and hit hard. For me I think each and every chapter highlighted and brought out very very well almost all inclusively the issues faced by women in India who have taken up science as their careers and not just careers, their love too!
.
Having background in science and science communication themselves I believe this 'Lab Hoppin' team being women themselves have felt in every bone the reality to emote them out so well. I remember the time due to my dying father's wish I married before my PhD was completed - most people asked me - so thats it you are done with science and to date because I dont have permanent job security my research is hardly valued!
.
From discrimination in being less intelligent beings, to having to raise the family, take responsibilities of parents, hone a lil of extra curriculars, sexual advances to having non supportive environments, I have seen it all and so have all the best women in Indian Science today! The opposite of having conducive systems and how they have helped have also been brought out.
.
Every year the UN celebrates International Women's Day but equality in Science is so far to come by but women are really not far behind, they can head labs, get Nobels, make life saving drugs at the cost of many things but also manage to balance it all out!
.
I really thank the authors for the boldness and effort they have spent in gathering and bringing out these facts so often ignored just like the ratio of genders in the institutions! I really hope this book makes way into the reading lists of every educated Indian and some semblance of realization dawns!
.
As just another Woman in STEM I really cant express how much this book has meant to me! From the blurb to the introduction to each chapter, I have been enraged, felt 'under the same patriachy ', inspired and to be honest felt important, felt valid that maybe its just worth doing what I do inspite of all odds!
.
Having background in science and science communication themselves I believe this 'Lab Hoppin' team being women themselves have felt in every bone the reality to emote them out so well. I remember the time due to my dying father's wish I married before my PhD was completed - most people asked me - so thats it you are done with science and to date because I dont have permanent job security my research is hardly valued!
.
From discrimination in being less intelligent beings, to having to raise the family, take responsibilities of parents, hone a lil of extra curriculars, sexual advances to having non supportive environments, I have seen it all and so have all the best women in Indian Science today! The opposite of having conducive systems and how they have helped have also been brought out.
.
Every year the UN celebrates International Women's Day but equality in Science is so far to come by but women are really not far behind, they can head labs, get Nobels, make life saving drugs at the cost of many things but also manage to balance it all out!
.
I really thank the authors for the boldness and effort they have spent in gathering and bringing out these facts so often ignored just like the ratio of genders in the institutions! I really hope this book makes way into the reading lists of every educated Indian and some semblance of realization dawns!
.
As just another Woman in STEM I really cant express how much this book has meant to me! From the blurb to the introduction to each chapter, I have been enraged, felt 'under the same patriachy ', inspired and to be honest felt important, felt valid that maybe its just worth doing what I do inspite of all odds!
June 22, 2023
"Nobody should be made to feel unusual for being a scientist."
Undoubtedly women have contributed a lot to science. This book celebrates the Indian women in science, and discusses about the triumphs and the challenges that these women have faced. The book offers fresh perspectives on the Indian women in STEM.
This book holds some inspiring stories of women persisting in science despite facing apathy, stereotypes, sexism and other challenges. In 2016, Nandita and Aashima embarked upon a cross-country tour across Indian science laboratories, an exercise they dubbed 'Lab Hopping '. From Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj engage in thought-provoking conversations with renowned scientists like Gagandeep Kang, Rohini Godbole, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prajval Shastri, as well as researchers at earlier stages of their scientific careers.
This is a highly interesting and recommended piece of literature that delves upon the lives of the Indian women in science. It's a thought provoking and eye-opening experience, that's well presented and discussed. It's a must-read for anyone interested in reading texts related to science as well as women empowerment. Kudos to the authors for creating this beautiful book.
Undoubtedly women have contributed a lot to science. This book celebrates the Indian women in science, and discusses about the triumphs and the challenges that these women have faced. The book offers fresh perspectives on the Indian women in STEM.
This book holds some inspiring stories of women persisting in science despite facing apathy, stereotypes, sexism and other challenges. In 2016, Nandita and Aashima embarked upon a cross-country tour across Indian science laboratories, an exercise they dubbed 'Lab Hopping '. From Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj engage in thought-provoking conversations with renowned scientists like Gagandeep Kang, Rohini Godbole, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prajval Shastri, as well as researchers at earlier stages of their scientific careers.
This is a highly interesting and recommended piece of literature that delves upon the lives of the Indian women in science. It's a thought provoking and eye-opening experience, that's well presented and discussed. It's a must-read for anyone interested in reading texts related to science as well as women empowerment. Kudos to the authors for creating this beautiful book.
September 7, 2025
From hearing "I have never seen girls participate so actively" to "you probably got hired because of diversity quota", from having tolerated remarks like "these girls just don't want to work" when I wanted to leave the lab before it gets dark outside to being assigned to a project and treated as a helper to my male colleague when I clearly was equally capable of handling the tasks, I felt humiliated and judged for being a female in STEM on most occasions. The various accounts from women across the country prove that they have suffered the exact same insults in their field and much more. Compared to them, I had it much easier due to invariable support from my family, but the bias is so strong, that its hard to avoid. The only solution left is then to fight our way through.
Thanks to activist like those mentioned in this book institutions are changing, but as rightly said, change will not be complete unless there are enough women at higher positions. Till then, I hope, all those who feel sidelined in the male-dominated industry, they continue to work their way up the ladder fighting back the bias.
Thanks to activist like those mentioned in this book institutions are changing, but as rightly said, change will not be complete unless there are enough women at higher positions. Till then, I hope, all those who feel sidelined in the male-dominated industry, they continue to work their way up the ladder fighting back the bias.
August 24, 2023
This book is a deep dive into India's world of science that seeks to understand the reasons for the abysmally low numbers of women and other marginalized communities doing science. It spans several years of interviews with scientists, visits to conferences and scientific gatherings, and critiques of policies intended to improve representation and retention of marginalized communities (largely women) in science. The result is an extremely nuanced understanding of the cultural and institutional upheavals that need to occur for science to be diverse and inclusive in India.
I've been following The Life of Science for a while now, and I'm so happy they've turned their work into a book. I hope it sparks some much-needed debates and transformations within scientific circles.
I've been following The Life of Science for a while now, and I'm so happy they've turned their work into a book. I hope it sparks some much-needed debates and transformations within scientific circles.
May 29, 2023
𝙇𝙖𝙗 𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 by 𝘼𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙖 𝘿𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙖 𝙅𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙟
🧪 Science is one of the greatest collective endeavors of humanity. That being said, the inadequacy of the equality offered at the work places still exists, even in the field of Science and Technology. There are countless hardships a person faces through pursuing their dreams though it's always a lot less than women, significantly.
🧪In order to explore these hardships that women face across India in the field of science, and to address such issue, the authors embarked on a journey to various laboratories and institutions across the nation. To engage with the prominent scholars and scientists in hour-long conversations, and discuss the challenge in the work culture across laboratories.
🧪The book is divided into 4 parts, which emphasises on how the journey began, what they saw, observing the reoccurring patterns in each encounters and the limitation and future scope on the upbringing of a more efficient work culture.
📌It's a throught provoking title which provides a immersive experience of intellectual conversations and gives a brief oversight of the situations women face across the nation in such institutions. It ignites chain reaction that offers you a wide range of introspection and Brainstorming around the subject.
📌It raises some significant questions about the conditions of these institutions and how the external factors, such as state politics, law and order affects them in a certain way. It emphasises on building a much more stable model in which feminism and science can co-work efficiently, while referencing the western models.
📌If you're interested in reading about Science and Technology, Institutional and Work Culture Environment, explore the mind and experiences of scientists, or feminism and Equality, then this is the right fit for your Bookshelf.
🧪 Science is one of the greatest collective endeavors of humanity. That being said, the inadequacy of the equality offered at the work places still exists, even in the field of Science and Technology. There are countless hardships a person faces through pursuing their dreams though it's always a lot less than women, significantly.
🧪In order to explore these hardships that women face across India in the field of science, and to address such issue, the authors embarked on a journey to various laboratories and institutions across the nation. To engage with the prominent scholars and scientists in hour-long conversations, and discuss the challenge in the work culture across laboratories.
🧪The book is divided into 4 parts, which emphasises on how the journey began, what they saw, observing the reoccurring patterns in each encounters and the limitation and future scope on the upbringing of a more efficient work culture.
📌It's a throught provoking title which provides a immersive experience of intellectual conversations and gives a brief oversight of the situations women face across the nation in such institutions. It ignites chain reaction that offers you a wide range of introspection and Brainstorming around the subject.
📌It raises some significant questions about the conditions of these institutions and how the external factors, such as state politics, law and order affects them in a certain way. It emphasises on building a much more stable model in which feminism and science can co-work efficiently, while referencing the western models.
📌If you're interested in reading about Science and Technology, Institutional and Work Culture Environment, explore the mind and experiences of scientists, or feminism and Equality, then this is the right fit for your Bookshelf.
July 6, 2024
How do you review a book that made you feel enraged, annoyed, discomfited, hopeless, but even a little optimistic at times? The amount of work put in by Aashima and Nandita to put together "Lab Hopping: Women Scientists in India" is remarkable. It is a book that is truly intersectional and inclusive in its understanding and explanation of the issues faced by women and other gender minorities in the field of Science in India.
While some of the issues expanded on in the book were not entirely unknown, a few of the other systemic and institutional issues as well as the extent and pervasiveness of it all was truly shocking to me. This was a book that was hard for me to read (both for the issues it presents as well as for the heaviness of the text in itself which in no way lends itself to "light reading") but I am glad this was a book that found its way into my hands, thanks to my partner. I would recommend everyone to read this book - especially those who say "Things are a lot better for women in STEM these days."
While some of the issues expanded on in the book were not entirely unknown, a few of the other systemic and institutional issues as well as the extent and pervasiveness of it all was truly shocking to me. This was a book that was hard for me to read (both for the issues it presents as well as for the heaviness of the text in itself which in no way lends itself to "light reading") but I am glad this was a book that found its way into my hands, thanks to my partner. I would recommend everyone to read this book - especially those who say "Things are a lot better for women in STEM these days."
August 27, 2024
LAB HOPPING is an insightful book highlighting the ups and downs of women who chose a career in STEM. It talks about the gender gap, how some women made it to the top, and what they had undergone in the process of accomplishing all that, be it rebel or support.
They kept going for the love of science, until some didn’t for better pursuits. Few sadly had to drop due to lack of institutional support for women, biases, and other factors including lack of basic amenities. Being in Technology I could relate to most of it. It is true women have to work very hard to prove themselves in jobs that are considered non traditional for them.
I also came across many motivating accounts of women in this book. Women who never gave up despite many challenges, and serve as a role model for women who are new to the workforce. A great read!
They kept going for the love of science, until some didn’t for better pursuits. Few sadly had to drop due to lack of institutional support for women, biases, and other factors including lack of basic amenities. Being in Technology I could relate to most of it. It is true women have to work very hard to prove themselves in jobs that are considered non traditional for them.
I also came across many motivating accounts of women in this book. Women who never gave up despite many challenges, and serve as a role model for women who are new to the workforce. A great read!
October 17, 2023
What an amazing book!!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and loved it. As a woman scientist in India, I related to every aspect of this book. I have decided to gift this book to all who so ignorantly say "aren't women in india empowered, aren't they treated equal? Why so chaos and discussions over this issue again and again"
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews