3 Aletris Marie Neils1,2
1
2University of Arizona, USA Corresponding author email:
Promoting women in leadership positions for conservation of Indonesian biodiversity
Throughout the professional history of ecology and wildlife biology and management, the vast majority of positions have traditionally been held by men and, consequently, men have dominated the overall contributions to peer-reviewed journals (Nicholson et.al., 2008). In the early part of the 20th century, most collaborators or assistants. Beginning in the 1980s, the and, over the last 40 years, the number of women choosing careers in biological sciences doubled (Hill et al. 2010; Chambers and Summers 2015). This positive development is also a result of the United Nation’s highlight the urgent need to support and empower This need is recognized as being particularly pressing in southern Asia (UNESCO, 2015).
In emerging economy countries with a large rural population, at the community level, many women have an interwoven relationship with natural resources and are often better positioned than men to care for their sustainable management. Consequently, women can bring diverse and valuable perspectives to conservation work and to the workplace (Sodhi et al., 2010; Casadevall and Handelsman, 2014; Chambers and Summers, 2015), and contribute innovative and meaningful ideas for solving environmental problems.
In many instances, at community level, women are often better at communicating such issues. The presence of women in conservation initiatives has been found to in natural resource management groups (Westermann et al., 2005; Chambers and Summers, 2015). Because of women’s traditional roles in rural societies, they are also
are often ill prepared to assume local leadership roles (D’Ormesson, 1992). However, some women have been successful in either achieving leadership positions, or in working with communities to develop these capacities within the context of local culture (Wacker, 1994). It is time to ensure that success quickly go beyond isolated sustainability challenges.
Fortunately, women in many countries, including Indonesia, are increasingly interested in and pursue professional positions in natural resource management and research. For example, the majority of students entering natural resource programs at the Department of Biology at Andalas University in Padang, Sumatra are now women (Novarino, personal communication).
Unfortunately, and for a variety of reasons, many women end their professional careers before they have the opportunity to advance to leadership positions and to contribute publications to peer-reviewed journals.
There are many great examples of successful women working in natural resources in Indonesia. However, as in other countries, the proportion attaining leadership positions is much lower than male counterparts (Hill et al., 2015). Compared to male coworkers, the impediments for women in any career are lower salaries and slower advancement. In addition, studies report children, are well-described barriers to both recruiting and retaining women in the sciences, including biological professions (Ceci and Williams, 2011). In many cases, women serve as primary caregivers for children and/or elderly relatives. Such challenges
less capable and with lower “intrinsic aptitude,” which
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male counterparts (Reppert, 2005; Leslie et al., 2015;
Chambers and Summers, 2015). Cultural traditions that prevent women from pursuing professional careers must be considered when encouraging Indonesian women to continue their professional careers in natural resources after completing their education.
Increasing women’s participation and leadership roles can add much needed support and dedication to nature conservation and natural resource management. In many cases it is an essential prerequisite for sustainable development. Identifying barriers that prevent retention ways to overcome such obstacles, is an important step in conserving Indonesia’s biodiversity.
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Figure 1 © Chris
Bugbee A. M. Neils
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Novarino, W. Associate Professor for Biology, Department of Biology, Andalas University, Indonesia.
5 November 2015. Padang, Sumatra.
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Editorial
