Dr. Garima Agarwal

Home University: Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India
Duration of the Fellowship: 12 months (1-April-2022 to 31-March-2023)


Research interests
I am interested in understanding and improving women’s participation in the economy. My research connects with Gender, Development, Education and Labour.
More information: https://sites.google.com/view/garima-agarwal


Why did you apply for the fellowship?
Prof Klasen has made many important contributions to our understanding of the role gender plays in the economy. I especially learned from his work on female labour force participation in India. When I met him and his students early on in my PhD, it was great to see the range of their research topics around gender and also the camaraderie they shared. Given my own interests, this fellowship is an excellent way to collaborate with the Development group at Göttingen and I am very excited about the possibilities!


What would you like to achieve during the course of the fellowship?
My doctoral research focusses on policies to resolve constraints to adolescent girls’ education in India. This naturally feeds into obstacles to meaningful participation of women in later life as well, including access to the labour market. Many of these issues remain relevant and play out in interesting ways in other parts of the developing and even developed world. During my time at Göttingen, I look forward to drawing on the diverse expertise within the Department to solidify my research agenda.


Göttingen at first (and second) sight?
The city welcomed me with great weather and gorgeous cherry blossoms! This is my first time living in Europe and I’m very glad to be in such a warm university environment. Everyone I’ve met so far has been very helpful and that makes me feel a little less far from home.


What do you do when you are not doing research?
I am always up for chai with a good discission on social norms, especially around gender. I enjoy cooking and taking photos of my ‘creations’. I do like photography more generally as well. Since there is so much to see here, this is keeping me busy. In the spirit of becoming a resident of the city, I hope to become more confident on the bicycle, learn a bit of German and sample as many kuchen as I can!