International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Only 28% of researchers in the world are women

Women represent only 28% of researchers worldwide; continue to be under-represented in research and development in all regions. However, it takes time to find a balance, said UNAM scholars.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 11 February International Day of Women and Girls in Scienceto ensure full and equal access and participation in science.

Gloria Delgado Inglada, Institute of Astronomy (IA); Carolina Keiman, university technician from the same entity; and Alejandro Frank, coordinator of the Center for Complexity Sciences (C3), they talked about it.

Alejandro Frank, also founder of the Adopt a Talent Program (PAUTA), He warned that in Mexico, we leave a brain drain much more important than the best known. (that of well-prepared human resources who go to other countries), and it is that of millions of children who have never discovered it, because they had no means, that there are scientific disciplines to which they could devote themselves and contribute to the development of the country.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics notes that as more women enroll in university, relatively few choose a scientific career. Many obstacles are badociated with these educational pathways, ranging from the stereotypes that girls face to family responsibilities to the prejudices women face in choosing their field of study.

However, he felt that the gender gap in the science and technology sectors has narrowed. At UNAM, for example, there are areas in which they are already in the majority at the time of entry into the program, such as chemistry or medicine; However, this is not the case in other areas, such as computation and physics.

Men's participation is even greater among researchers and teachers"But it's a matter of time, and not too much, to see a balance and even a feminine domination in some traditionally masculine areas."

The womensaid researcher emeritus of the Institute of Nuclear Science and member of El Colegio Nacional, They demonstrated abilities in all areas of knowledge, as well as the pbadion and intuition needed to stand out.

When children are small, regardless of bad, they are curious; but as they grow, they lose interest in science. "I do not know if that's what they see on TV or what they hear at home or at school," Delgado Inglada said.

For girls and women, there is a "glbad ceiling". In percentage, the female presence is all the lower as the level of education increases. Men's careers are still on the rise, unlike theirs, which save the victims whenever they have hijbone "It is curious that this fact, which is a matter of two, in principle affects only women negatively."

The specialist in astrophysics, Professor and Doctor of Science of the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE, Puebla), He explained that in AI, the percentage of researchers ranged from 28 to 30%.. The number has increased, but very little, so "there is still a lot to do".

Despite the efforts of the international community to promote women's participation in these areas, they continue to face obstacles that prevent them from participating fully. According to a study conducted in 14 countries, the probability of students obtaining a bachelor's degree, a master's degree and a doctorate in a science-related subject is 18, 8 and 2%., respectively, while the probability for male students is 37, 18 and 6%.

In science, Delgado added, some careers are more badociated with women, such as biology, and others to men, such as physics. "I do not know why, because our brain is the same, and the only difference is our way of attacking problems, solving them, which should really be very useful for us to complete and develop teamwork . "

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, only one in five countries has reached gender parity, by ensuring that 45 to 55 percent of its researchers are women. In Mexico, this figure is 33%.

On our territory, researchers generally work in the academic and public sectorswhile men predominate in the private sector, which tends to offer better wages and opportunities.

During the period 1984-2016, the number of researchers in the National Researcher System increased from 396,000 to 25,000,072. Of the first total, 1,143 (81.9%) were men and 253 (18%) were 1%) of women.

The difference has been reduced over the years, but the distance is still considerable. In 2016 alone, there were 15,000,992 against 9,000 80 (Carlos E. Rodríguez, "The National System of Researchers in Figures", Scientific and Technological Advisory Forum, 2016).

In most countries, researchers focus on the social sciences and remain underrepresented in careers in engineering and technology.. As a way to "match the court", girls should be encouraged to study mathematics and science, said the international body.

PAUTA is a project that has been around for more than 10 years and has touched and motivated thousands of children. "We tried to infect them with the love of knowledge," Frank said. How can a talented scientist know if he has ever entered a "science pool"?

The program is dedicated to creating spaces where children can "dive" and discover "how wonderful science is, understand, understand, and that science is not scary, but exciting and wonderful "

In the program, he said: we were "blind" to the genre, but so many girls came in as children; the presence of youngsters in organized science fairs is notorious. They are as much as men, if not more so.

In Chiapas, there is a special program for women with the SM Foundation: girls are victims of triple discrimination because they are women, indigenous and poor. "We have located dozens of exceptional girls, with a huge desire to learn." The results have been positive and bachelor's and university students receive scholarships and participate in various activities.

Gloria Delgado pointed out that it was necessary to bring girls to science and especially to those who live outside major cities and rural areas., where maybe they do not even know they can devote themselves to something like that; "They see the sky anyway, they ask a question, but they do not know that they can be astronomers."

Carolina Keiman, academic technique in IA also He stressed the need to create spaces where not only girls, but also their parents, are aware that they can devote themselves to what they want, for example being a scientist. "It is necessary to organize more workshops in community, working together2.

On February 11, a party like this one aims to make girls understand that there are women dedicated to science and that they are not rare.but could have a life similar to theirs, but also the willingness to go ahead.

Keiman advised girls to be motivated to experiment, to leverage, to know what catches them.