The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed annually on 11th February. Established by the UN General Assembly in 2015, this day aims to facilitate full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UN-Women, along with numerous institutional and civil society partners, organize and implement various programs in honor of this day.
Global Situation: Women in STEM
According to the UNESCO data from 2014-16, only about 30% of female students opt for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields in higher education. A particularly low enrollment is noticed in information technology (3%), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5%), and engineering and allied streams (8%).
Research as a Career Path
The UNESCO, in its 2018 fact sheet, revealed that merely 28.8% of researchers are women. UNESCO identifies researchers as professionals involved in creating or conceiving new knowledge.
Representation in Prestigious Awards
When considering prestigious international recognitions, such as Nobel Prizes, from 1901 to 2019 out of 616 laureates in the disciplines of Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine, only 20 laureates were women. In 2019, Karen Uhlenbeck, an American mathematician, became the first woman to receive the Abel Prize, a Norwegian recognition granted annually to one or more exemplary mathematicians. Furthermore, until now only one woman – the late Maryam Mirzakhani of Iran – has been awarded the Fields Medal, compared to 59 men since 1936.
National Scenario: Women in STEM
In India, female enrollment in science streams increased between the academic years 2010-11 and 2015-16. As per the NITI Aayog’s 2015-16 report, in undergraduate courses, 9.3% of female students enrolled in engineering compared to a 15.6% enrollment across genders. Contrarily, 4.3% of female students enrolled in medical science, compared to 3.3% across genders.
Research as a Profession in India
In India, only 13.9% of researchers are women, with female enrollment at master’s and doctoral levels remaining lower than the total enrollment.
Presence in Technical Professions
The NITI Aayog report also revealed that in over 620 institutes and universities, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the presence of women was 20.0% among Scientific and Administrative staff, 28.7% among Post-Doctoral Fellows, and 33.5% among PhD scholars.
The Way Forward
Interventions aimed at increasing the popularity of subjects such as Engineering, Physical sciences, or Chemistry among female students at the school level might assist in altering prevailing perceptions. Achieving gender equality in science and technical fields is essential for attaining Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 worldwide – which targets achieving gender equality.
