Скачать или смотреть ORF-KC 2019 | Women in Space

The first woman to go to space was in 1963 when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was launched on the Vostok 6 mission. Nearly 60 women have since gone to space. Female participation in space technology and science writ large has helped change the perception that this specialised field is a male bastion. Space science and technology have made important contributions to areas as diverse as health and disaster management, to climate change mitigation and development. This has opened up many opportunities for all, including women. The number of women space entrepreneurs is also on the rise. However, although the number of women in scientific and technical fields have been growing, it is still low, with the participation of women in developing countries running even lower. Culture, mindsets and the societal framework within which we operate poses a challenge. Today the world is slowly waking up to the importance of having equal participation in every sector, including space. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) has gender equality as one of its seventeen goals to be achieved by 2030. It is considered central to achieving the other goals. In the light of this, the present panel will discuss opportunities and challenges faced by women in space.

How can women bring a different perspective to space-related issues? What are the challenges a woman faces in working in a sector that has a highly skewed gender ratio? How can such challenges be overcome?

Speakers

Susmita Mohanty, Co-Founder and CEO, Earth2Orbit
Wing Commander Neelu Khatri, CEO, Boston Analytics
Ashok G.V., Partner, Factum Law
Surbhi Baghotia, Scientist D, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO
Jessica West, Program Officer, Project Ploughshares