On Sexism and Misogyny

The week that Julia Gillard spoke out against sexism and misogyny, we in India were witness to our leaders proclaiming that the marriageable age for girls should be reduced as it will prevent rape. I have not still figured that one out but what was noticeable was the silence from all the political parties and aspiring leaders.  Fortunately, the MahaKhap rejected the suggestion.
I have listened to Julia Gillard's speech. I just wish some one would have the courage to speak out against sexism and misogyny that exists in India.
When I joined the University, a senior professor told a women colleague and me that he always feels sorry for the male faculty who join as assistant professor as they have to run the household on pittance.  Then there was another faculty who believes that man is the head of the house. 
Women scientists are meant to be dismissed off unless there is work to be done. Fluffy headed just doing some thing to keep themselves occupied.  If we are aggressive, we are labelled bitch, grudgingly given our due because we yell.  If we flirt then we are to be dismissed off as lightweights. If we do neither, then anyway we are not going to get anything. Or rather as a sop they will give us National Women Bioscientist Award.
I usually ignore my male colleagues because that is the only way I can survive. What really gets me upset is the attitude of the male students who, seeped in the patriarchal ideology, dismiss off their supervisor because she is a female.  I get upset too when female students write letters to me addressed as Dear Sir.  I get upset too when my female students believe that men are more superior than them. I get upset when my women students decide to leave all the decisions to the men of their family.  I get upset when my women students decide to get married and quit their studies because they have to follow their husband. I have no issues with their getting married but I wonder if they ever ask themselves or those who make decision for them that isn't their studies/career important too?
I worry what kind of role model my women colleagues and I are providing.  But then they see us struggling, they see us not getting the awards that we deserve, they see us sidelined, so why should they not believe that men are superior? 

Should young scientists hit the road?

There is a letter in Science by Mark S. Cohen wherein he argues that it is bad advice to ask young postdocs and graduate students to seek position in places other than their home institutes. Of course it is practice in US universities not to hire their own graduate/post-graduate students. The underlying opinion is that this prevents inbreeding and clique formation. Mark argues that young scientists should be encouraged to work where they are most productive and if it happens to be their home institutes, then they should be allowed to do so.  
Is Mark S. Cohen right?
In India it is the norm to hire our own graduate/post-graduate students. Only few institutes like CCMB have made it a policy not to hire their own graduate students. IISc too had a similar policy when Prof. Goverdhan Mehta was its director.  However, the departments were very unhappy and were waiting for Prof. Mehta to leave before reversing the policy.  I do not know the current policy at IISc.
Being in a place where the department has made it a norm to hire its own graduate/post-graduate students, I have seen the harm such appointments do.  Given the hierarchical nature of our education system where graduate students are never encouraged to question their teachers, hiring back our own students ensures that the policy decisions formulated by the senior faculty are never questioned. Further, it ensures that there is never any dissent. Also, there are no new ideas. there is no growth in terms of scientific ideas and outputs.  Worse, many of these faculty do not get out of their student mentality and fail to make the transition from student to faculty.
I have no problems if the students hired back as faculty are brilliant teachers/researchers. But very often the ones who are hired back are bad teachers and bad researchers.  Essentially the ones who are good sycophants are the ones who are hired back.
I sincerely believe that one of the reasons that India never made great strides in science/social science field is the inbreeding that we encouraged.

Ethical issues- What does CNR Rao case teach us?

Prof CNR Rao has been making headlines for the wrong reasons.  Of course he has told the newspapers that it was not his fault but the fault of the students.  I never had great opinion about Prof Rao, especially after I interviewed at JNCASR and met him for the first time, but this statement takes the cake!  Of course nothing much will come out of this. Prof. Rao is not going to reprimanded. The Indian Academy of Sciences has already issued a statement in support of CNRR. So is it even worth talking about ethical issues?  

I ask myself this question because every year I try to teach the M.Sc students about ethics in human genetics and  in research (I cover the plagiarism, acknowledgments, how to cite references).  However, what is the point if the scientists in India who hold positions like Advisor to the Prime Minister, President of various academies of sciences, Directors, Vice-chancellors etc condone transgression?  After all then the only message the new generation of scientists gets is that it is okay to indulge in unethical practices because there is going to be no punishment.

Unethical practices occur in other parts of the world too. But in the US, which is what I know most about, the punishment is severe enough to deter unethical practices. At least, the scientists know what would be the punishment if they are caught.  Here all we know is that even if you are caught nothing is going to happen.

Under such scenario, what do I teach my students?  This year has been extremely hard because I am dealing with a bunch of students who have no concept of right and wrong. Is it even worth the struggle?