Sometimes we have to look back to correct mistakes and design a better future, in this attempt to build a future with more potential, well-being and progress, there is one outstanding issue: the inclusion of women and girls in science. Long ago, this sphere was dominated by men, but today we are already taking small steps to achieve true equality.
If we were to immediately ask a boy or girl to draw a person working in the scientific field, most of them would draw the same drawing: an older man, in a white blouse and, perhaps, like any scientist in any film in the world. Also, if you ask someone the name of a woman who has dedicated her life to science, few people could give more references than Marie Curie.
- Celebrities such as Rita Levi-Montalcini.
- Lise Meintner.
- Sophie Germain and Marie Anne Pierrette-Paulze are diluted in such a male-dominated environment.
- Perhaps because names like Isaac Newton.
- Benjamin Franklin.
- Nicola Tesla and Louis Pasteur have earned the top spots on the scientific podium.
- They have always had more opportunities.
- Positions and prestige.
Does this mean that, throughout history, the number of women who have dedicated themselves to science has always been less than the number of men? The problem is that they have always existed, but they have remained in the shadow of men. An example of this, without a doubt, is Mileva Einstein, Albert Einstein’s first wife.
Many called her an old witch because she was exceptionally bright. According to your biographical data, was it a fundamental element of Einstein’s theory of relativity, which, as we well know, earned him the Nobel Prize?
Every 11 February women and girls are celebrated in science, the UN has established that one of the goals for the next 15 years is precisely to end the gender inequality present in this discipline.
Science, technology, engineering, mathematics? The presence of women in these careers has increased in recent times and, therefore, the prospects are encouraging, however, there are still a number of determinants left for this future of equality, which we see in depth below.
According to several UNESCO reports, less than 30% of scientific research is conducted by women; In addition, the number of students enrolled in fields such as information and communication technologies (ICTs) reaches 3%. science, statistics, mathematics or engineering, the data show that women account for just over 8%.
Does this mean that women do not have the competence to devote themselves to these branches of knowledge?They have it, but there is a problem, to achieve a real inclusion of women and girls in science it is necessary to eliminate gender biases. 6- and 7-year-olds have unconsciously internalized what jobs are for boys and what jobs are for girls.
Aerospace engineers, mathematicians and even university professors are regarded by boys as men, are prejudiced regimes and must be corrected from an early age to allow equal opportunities, it is necessary to assess the scientific vocation of girls, to arouse their curiosity in this field, to implement actions that generate visible change in the future.
There’s an undeniable fact. As we move on the scale of professional development, there is less presence of women in decision-making, accountability and management positions. What’s the cause? In general, policies are lacking to promote equality. He still considers man more competent or scientific, and there’s another troubling factor.
Reconciling motherhood with careers is the biggest challenge for women scientists, who are often unable to choose positions of greater responsibility for this lack of support in the care of their children.
On the other hand, there is one factor that should also be noted, the well-known Matilda effect, defined in 1993 by historian Margaret W. men’s.
Any advance or discovery made by a woman is overshadowed or, worse, transferred to a male figure who will take all the credit, so the scientist is left to ostracism, without obtaining funds for research, without being able to publish and obtain the development of his career. she deserves it.
Let’s teach children what they can be whatever they want, we will show them the vast world of the cosmos, the tiny universe of genetics, the incredible dimension of engineering work, and all the possibilities that all these disciplines bring for progress and the future. For the inclusion of women and girls in science to be real, we essentially need two things: education and opportunities.
All children, regardless of their situation or country of origin, should be able to work with anything that interests them, because it is passion that creates the new, it is the real interest in a work area that makes society itself capable. If we educate everyone equally, and we put the real means so that everyone can realize their full potential in their workplace, without prejudice or obstacles, we will have much to gain.