Solving the biggest challenges of the 21st century is going to need the combined power of the greatest minds of science and innovation. The combined power of ALL the greatest minds. That’s why we must address the current gender imbalance in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3 per cent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 per cent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent). Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are steering girls and women away from science related fields.
Today, Thursday February 11 2021, is the official International Day of Women and Girl’s in Science. Since its establishment by the UN General Assembly on 22 December 2015, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science aims at raising awareness on the issue celebrating women’s excellence in science and reminding the international community that science and gender equality have to advance hand-in-hand to address major global challenges and achieve all the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda.
This year’s focus will be “Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19”. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated the critical role of women researchers in different stages of the fight against COVID-19, from advancing the knowledge on the virus, to developing techniques for testing, and finally to creating the vaccine against the virus.
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic also had a significant negative impact on women scientists, not just those at the early stages of their career, but also those women who are parents and carers, whose careers have been forced to take a backstep as the pandemic has kept us all at home. And thus the existing gender gap in science widens further.
At Team DUG we value and recognise the contribution of the amazing STEM women we have working in our company. You can read the stories of two of our senior female scientists here and here.
There are many events happening around the world to mark the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Here’s how you can get involved.
- UNESCO is running a free virtual discussion featuring female experts working in fields related to the pandemic from different parts of the world. You can find registration details here.
- The University of Queensland is holding a Q&A panel with prominent UQ researchers – you can find more details here.
- Monash University shares an exciting collection of stories from outstanding women in STEM here.
- Discover more about the Australian Women in STEM Ambassador’s FutureYou programme for school aged children here.
