Women in science leadership: A new era for sustainability

Ranjan K Baruah

(With direct inputs from UN/WHO publication and feedback may be sent to bkranjan@gmail.com)

We are aware that gender equality is a must if we want to achieve sustain
able development. We know that women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Interestingly women accounted for one in three (33%) researchers in 2018. Moreover, women remain a minority in digital information technology, computing, physics, mathematics and engineering.

Whenever we visit higher technical educational institutions then we could see more men instead of women. 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. In cutting edge 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. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are widely regarded as critical to national economies but lots to be done when it is related to women as women have less participation in STEM .

A significant gender gap has persisted throughout the STEM disciplines all over the world. Even though women have made tremendous progress towards increasing their participation in higher education, they are still under-represented in these fields. 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 United Nations General Assembly 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.

To promote STEM and girls and young women in science the UN has designated 11th February as the international day of women and girls in science. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN in his message on the occasion said that “gender equality in science is vital for building a better future for all. Unfortunately, women and girls continue to face systemic barriers and biases that prevent them from pursuing careers in science”. “Women and girls belong in science. It is time to recognize that inclusion fosters innovation, and let every woman and girl fulfil her true potential”, he added.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution not only to economic development of the world, but to progress across all the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well. We must encourage more girls and young women to choose STEM as their careers. Career awareness from early childhood is crucial to make science education more interesting for girls.

Only girls cannot make it successful in the field of STEM if they are not encouraged by their parents, family members, teachers and everyone. There are many initiatives from the government as well as civil society and corporate to encourage girls in STEM for bringing positive transformation in the society. For sustainability we need more women leadership in science and this is possible when all of us take action for promoting STEM amongst girls. (With direct inputs from UN publication)