What you probably already know: The 11th annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science is Feb. 11. This year’s theme, “From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap,” seeks to address gender disparities in STEM fields by promoting inclusion, opportunity and equity. The idea was hatched during the inaugural Women’s Health and Development Forum in 2015, and, since then, governments and institutions across the world have used the day to launch or announce gender-equity policies. In 2022, for example, Ireland announced an initiative linking financial incentives to progress, and the Unites States in 2021 issued a statement celebrating the scientific contributions of women and girls.
Why it matters: Research shows that just 15% of young women graduates choose STEM careers, compared to 35% for men, and women hold less than one-quarter of jobs in STEM fields. In the United States, only about 20% of engineering or computer science majors are women. Even those who succeed must battle negative perceptions: A survey cited by the Society of Women Engineers found that half of women in STEM jobs say they’ve experienced workplace discrimination, while nearly a third say they were treated as if they weren’t competent. One recent study estimates that 35% of women with STEM degrees quit within five years.
What it means: Despite the attention, progress is maddeningly slow. The disparity among eighth-grade test scores between boys and girls had vanished by 2019, but recent research found that began to reverse during the pandemic, and girls’ scores in math and science are now in decline. “The challenge of inequality in science is a global phenomenon, evident even in developed nations,” a 10-year International Day of Women and Girls in Science progress report notes. “In countries with the necessary financial resources, the absence of comprehensive science politics and frameworks remains a critical gap.”
What happens next: The World Economic forum estimates that doubling the number of women in the tech workforce by 2027 could add more than $700 billion to the world’s economy. Some countries, particularly in Western Europe, are closing the gap. In Ireland, for instance, almost 47% of researchers are women, according to UNESCO, adding that women account for more than 40% of researchers in Portugal, Spain and Greece. UNESCO’s online exhibition, “The Impact of Women in Science,” explores the untold stories of women throughout history who broke barriers in the face of overwhelming odds. As the Progress Report notes, “Ignoring the role of women in science in sustainable development jeopardizes the unity of society, harmony and development, and the future of our world.”
