Throughout history, numerous women have made significant contributions to science, although many times their achievements have not received the recognition they deserve. From Marie Curie, the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes in different scientific disciplines, to Rosalind Franklin, whose work was fundamental in the discovery of the structure of the DNA, women have been in the center of discoveries that have helped change the world .
Today, as every February 11, for 10 years, World and Girl World Day is celebrated in science, a date proclaimed by the United Nations to recognize the crucial role that women and girls play in science and technology . Although progress has been produced in these ten years, women and girls continue to face barriers and systemic prejudices when undertaking scientific careers.
“The reality of the data shows that women continue to represent just a third of the world scientific community. Private of adequate funds, publication opportunities and leadership positions in universities and research centers, women and girls continue to face an arduous task to forge a professional career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics ” , says the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
Support women and girls in science
To improve this reality, different initiatives and alliances are being carried out in all sectors, public and private, to promote women’s participation in science and inspire girls when choosing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem).
These initiatives cover from educational programs in schools to scholarships and awards for scientific women.
An example of public-private collaboration in Spain is the Steam alliance for female talent, an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Professional Training with the aim of promoting Steam vocations in girls and young people and reducing the gender gap. To this alliance have already joined more than a hundred companies and entities.
This is the case of the Naturgy Foundation, which also develops its own projects, aimed at promoting the promotion of Stem vocations in female, both inside and outside the company.
With his Effigy Girls project, -a Naturgy’s own educational proposal, within the framework of the effigy education program and supported by the Ministry of Energy -girls participate in the resolution of a common challenge in the field of energy while learning to develop skills related to global environmental problems and to respond to different situations.
“Our goal is to contribute to the development of vocations, with focus on gender equality. A fair energy transition will not Further away from Stem races, see that there is a space for them, “says Eva Buch, director of Education and Dissemination of Naturgy Foundation.
Within the Naturgy company itself, through its corporate university, it has deployed, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid, the “Stem Women’s Community» project. The objective is to promote a greater participation of female talent in Stem areas from a “tailored” training and focused on data, increased its competences and knowledge in these areas of the scientific fabric applied to the business field.
“In Naturgy we understand how relevant it is to promote Stem profiles in current female talent and also in the future, to boost a true gender balance. It is not only about the representation of groups in the global workforce, but about promoting diverse talent in the business and technical areas, transversely to all teams, and this program is one of the actions we promote with this inclusive vision ”, José Luis Ausín, head of the Corporate University, points out,
Data and figures
– 33.3% It is the global average percentage of investigating women and only 35% of careers related to STEM are women
– As women advance in their scientific careers, the gender gap is accentuated.
– In the upper levels of scientific hierarchies, the proportion of scientific women decreases
– Despite the shortage of competencies in most technological fields, women represent only 28% of degree in engineering and 40% of computer graduates and computing
– Only 12% of the members of the National Academies of Sciences are women