11th February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Full and equal access and participation for women and girls in science

Ranjan K Baruah *

Being a career mentor I had the opportunity to visit different campuses in different places. These campuses include schools, colleges, universities and some special institutes. Be it in India or even in other countries we don’t see many girls in the research or technical studies though there are a number of girls in different courses.

Globally it has been seen that women are typically given smaller research grants than their male colleagues and, while they represent 33.3% of all researchers, only 12% of members of national science academies are women. One of the most important and demanded fields such as artificial intelligence, only one in five professionals (22%) is a woman.

Despite a shortage of skills in most of the technological fields driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women still account for only 28% of engineering graduates and 40% of graduates in computer science and informatics.

Female researchers tend to have shorter, less well-paid careers. Their work is underrepresented in high-profile journals and they are often passed over for promotion. The situation may differ and data may be even less in a few countries.

Girl children or students and women must have full and equal access and participation in science subjects as science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.

Recognizing the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries, but also as agents of change, including in view of accelerating progress towards the achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) this year’s theme is “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us”

Gender equality has always been a core issue for the United Nations. On 14 March 2011, the Commission on the Status of Women adopted a report at its fifty-fifth session, with agreed conclusions on access and participation of women and girls in education, training and science and technology, and for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work.

On 20 December 2013, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on science, technology and innovation for development, in which it recognized that full and equal access to and participation in science, technology and innovation for women and girls of all ages is imperative for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

UN reports point out that billions of people around the world will be unable to access safely managed household drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services in 2030 unless access progress rates quadruple.

Rising demand, poor management, and failure to conserve water resources, compounded by climate change, represents key challenges, urgently requiring a new sustainable holistic approach to support aligning strategies on water.

The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres in his message said that “we need more women developing artificial intelligence that serves everyone and works for gender equality. We also need to reverse trends that keep young women scientists from pursuing careers that help us address the climate and environmental crises.”

“I taught engineering. I know from personal experience that young women and men are equally capable and equally fascinated by science, brimming with ideas, and ready to carry our world forward”, he said.

There is already more focus on girl education and we can ensure that they have access to the technical learning and work opportunities related to science. When guided and mentored properly today’s girl may become leading scientists, change makers, innovators who could certainly enhance sustainable development. Let us commit and ensure that girls get quality education and contribute towards a sustainable future.


(With direct inputs from UN publication )