International Day of Women and Girls in Science — February 11, 2022

When is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science?

The international day of women and girls in science is observed every year on February 11 to promote women and girls’ full and equal participation in science.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

At all levels of STEM fields worldwide, a considerable gender imbalance has remained over time. In addition, women have made great efforts in increasing their involvement in higher education, yet they remain underrepresented in these sectors.

The international day of women and girls in science allows us to recognize women’s tremendous contributions to science and focuses on the importance of girls pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

The primary goal of this day is to raise awareness about the importance of bringing qualified female human resources into the spotlight and providing them with equal chances in science and technology.

The theme of International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022

On the 7th international day of women and girls in science, assembly will focus on the theme “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us,” recognizing the role of women and girls in science as beneficiaries as well as agents of change, including in the context of accelerating progress toward the achievement of SDG  (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Why aren’t More Women Pursuing Professions in STEM Fields?

This is a challenging and perplexing question. As a result, a variety of reasons have been proposed.

Early years

Some argue that girls have less exposure to activities and gadgets that promote scientific curiosity. Others argue that girls are more critical of their abilities and undervalue themselves; thus, they may not believe they are talented enough to pursue a STEM degree at university.

Making decisions in school

According to studies, girls’ test results in science disciplines were on par with boys. But girls have more options when it comes to choosing what to study because they often excel in other disciplines. This has a clear impact on their future work choices.

Fear of becoming a minority

Another reason may be the fear of being a small minority on a university course or at work, which may deter girls from pursuing a career in research or engineering. In addition, there is a widespread belief that if you are a member of a minority group, you will face injustice at work, and it would be considerably harder to succeed.

What Can be Done to Encourage Young Women to Pursue Careers in Science?

Several things may be done to encourage girls to pursue science careers.

• Parents and schools may introduce all children – boys and girls – to activities and toys that inspire them to buildand create, and pique their curiosity in learning about the world around them and how it works.
• Several organizations send female scientists to schools to speak to girls about their work. Some schools encourage older female students studying STEM topics to speak with younger students about their enthusiasm for the subject. In addition, universities and research institutions open their laboratories in schools to teach scientific research at first hand.
• Mentor programs are increasingly being used in businesses and science departments to assist and support women who work in minority groups. In addition, women in senior positions are frequently eager to help younger women break into their sector.
• One of the most important things to do is to ensure that girls see many examples of successful female scientists in the news and media.

History of  International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Over the last two decades, women have been more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than men. Yet, despite this achievement, women acquire half degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) than males. The United Nations was alerted to this discrepancy.

The UN commission on the status of women decided in March 2011 that women and girls worldwide require more access to science and technology education and training. In addition, equal employment opportunities for women and girls are also required in these professions.

On December 20, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing that achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment requires full and equal access and participation of women and girls of all ages in technology and innovation.

The United Nations has traditionally prioritized gender equality. Gender uniformity and the empowerment of women and girls in science will be critical to global economic development and progress toward all of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development’s goals and targets.

Why is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science Important? 

It’s time to teach young males some valuable lessons

Not only do girls need to become used to being in STEM programs, but boys need to get used to having them there as well. Y4X is a global effort that helps young boys and men respect and acknowledge their female counterparts in science and seek out women in science as mentors and role models.

It’s a time to thank people for their contributions

Today is a day to recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate the achievements of women who had gone before us and made significant contributions worldwide in the field of science.

Now is the moment to seize opportunities

Now is the time to support women of all ages in the STEM field. We can’t afford to lose any talent in the technology sector, so discovering and keeping women who like STEM fields and are talented in technology is critical for all of us.

Time to Educate Parents

Many parents have a traditional mindset that girls cannot excel in STEM fields as boys, and this conception has been the root cause of girls fearing to choose such fields. This day is the time to educate parents about what wonders girls can do. They should be made aware of all the achievements done by women in science and technology.

How to Celebrate  International Day of Women and Girls in Science?

This day is observed by several organizations all around the world. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World are a few of these organizations.

You can celebrate this day by:

Learning about the problems

Learn more about the challenges women and girls experience in science and technology education and training.

Know your heroes

Look for other well-known women in science and technology. You can also share about their achievement on other social media platforms so you and others can know the importance of women and girls in science.

Encourage a young woman to pursue her academic interests

Do you have or know a young girl that is interested in science? Encourage her to keep going. Unfortunately, girls are frequently diverted from their passions and are not encouraged to choose less traveled paths. If you are unfamiliar with the most recent STEM job alternatives, locate a friend who can explain them to her and guide her through the process.

Connect with Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is a non-profit organization dedicated to closing the technology gender gap by 2027 through community girls’ clubs, summer camps, collegiate programs, fundraisers, corporate sponsorships, and advocacy. You can participate individually or encourage your firm to participate as a whole.

5 Women in Science You Should Know

Alice Ball (1892-1916)

Alice Ball, an American chemist, was the first woman and African American to earn a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. She later became the school’s first female chemistry professor. Ball devised a pioneering therapy for leprosy at the age of 23, a disease that previously had few chances of recovery and pushed victims into exile.

Before Ball’s research, the most excellent treatment for leprosy was chaulmoogra oil, which was difficult for patients to take or apply topically and was too thick to inject. Ball produced a readily injectable oil form while working as a research assistant at Kalihi Hospital in Hawaii, which saved numerous lives and was the most effective therapy for leprosy until the 1940s.

Unfortunately, she died before the findings could be published, and the president of the University of Hawaii tried to claim the research as his own until Ball’s former supervisor publicly said that she deserved credit for the life-saving injection. As a result, her accomplishments were not fully recognized until the twenty-first century, when the governor of Hawaii named February 29 “Alice Ball Day.”

Lise Meitner (1878-1968)

Lise Meitner, an Austrian physicist, made fundamental contributions to nuclear physics. She was also the first woman in Germany to hold the position of a physics professor.

Meitner’s work on nuclear fission was crucial in helping her long-time study. Her collaborator earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944. However, many scientists afterward said the Nobel Committee was unfair in not recognizing her efforts equally.

Meitner was also a proponent of the peaceful use of atomic energy. She categorically refused to participate in the Manhattan Project because she was opposed to fission to make an atom bomb. Meitner is the recipient of several essential physics awards and a chemical element named after her (meitnerium).

Maria Winkelmann (1670-1720)

Maria Winkelmann was a pioneer in the field of astronomy in Germany. She was the first woman to find a new comet in 1902. Unfortunately, her husband Gottfried Kirch publicized the discovery under his name and did not expose her as the genuine source of the comet discovery.

During her time, however, Winkelmann was still widely regarded as a capable scientist, and her studies and observations on sunspots, the Aurora Borealis, and comets were highly regarded. She also contributed to the advancement of the Berlin Academy of Science, where her husband was the senior astronomer.

Years later, though, the academy turned against her. While working as an assistant to her son at the Berlin Observatory, Academy members complained that she took on too much responsibility, forcing her to quit in 1716 at 46.

Nettie Maria Stevens (1861–1912)

Nettie Maria Stevens, an American biologist, was instrumental in finding the chromosomes that determine sex, but history has largely overlooked her efforts. Stevens taught a variety of disciplines at Lebanon High School and Minot’s Corner School throughout her early adult years, including zoology, physiology, algebra, English, and Latin. Then, she traveled to California at the age of 35 to get a bachelor’s degree in physiology at Stanford University.

She stood first in her class and went on to get a master’s then a doctorate in sexology, focusing on the science of sex determination. Though Stevens was one of the first scientists to establish that the X chromosomes in sperm cells determine sex, fellow geneticist Edmund Beecher Wilson discovered the chromosomal basis for sex determination. Wilson had been working on a similar project at Columbia University on his own.

Stevens received her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania in 1903 and is generally credited with expanding the area of embryology and genetics.

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi

She is a virologist from France. She shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine with Luc Montagnier in 2008 for discovering the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

She is a member of several scientific organizations, including the Pasteur Institute and the National AIDS Research Agency. She has been combating AIDS for more than 30 years, partnering with many nations in Asia and Africa on AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.

Facts About Women in Science

• Women receive smaller research grants than men, and although accounting for 33.3 percent of all researchers, just 12 percent of members of national science academies are female.
• There is only one woman in every five professionals (22%) in cutting-edge sectors like artificial intelligence.
• Despite a skills deficiency in most technology sectors fueling the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women make up only 28% of engineering degree holders and 40% of computer science and informatics graduates.
• Female researchers have shorter and lower-paying careers than male researchers. As a result, their work is underrepresented in prestigious journals, and they are frequently overlooked for advancement.
• Teachers and parents frequently underestimate girls’ math abilities. Lower expectations and biases account for around half of the math achievement difference between men and women.
• Compared to their girls, parents from high-income homes are more likely to promote the perception that boys are more capable and interested in math and science by investing in opportunities for their sons.
• When women enter scientific professions, they are sometimes given less credit and citations for their work than their male counterparts.
• Because fewer women are studying and working in STEM areas, these fields tend to perpetuate rigid, restrictive, male-dominated that aren’t supportive of or appealing to women and minorities.
• On-campus and professionally, women are more likely to be harassed and subjected to gender-devaluing biases in specific disciplines of study, such as engineering and computer science.
• According to one study, the gender gap in invention could be cut in half if girls had as many role models of female inventors as boys do of male inventors.

Frequntly Asked Questions (FAQs)

When was the first international day of women and girls in science?

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established February 11 as the international day of women and girls in science to ensure complete and equal access and engagement in science for women and girls.

Why should women pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers?

Females’ abilities in STEM classrooms make them employable in various fields. These abilities, also known as computational thinking, focus on solving logical, innovative, and complex problems—skills that businesses are increasingly looking for in future workers.

How can you encourage more women to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers?

There are five ways to encourage girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.

• Expose young girls to STEM.
• Encourage participation in special programs.
• Support community-based learning opportunities.
• Assist as a m
• Take command and educate them.

How might the gender gap in STEM be bridged?

Here are some steps instructors can take to help close the STEM gender gap. First, inspire young students with female role models in videos and posters. Find and share articles about STEM-related women and students.

Why is it critical to encourage more women and girls to pursue careers in science?

When one group of people dominates a field of study, whether it’s an age group, a culture group, or a gender, a restricted view of the subject can develop. More women in traditionally male-dominated fields will bring new perspectives, talent, and creativity. It can also help improve women’s social and financial standing in some nations.

Conclusion

Half of the world’s population is made up of women and girls, representing half of the world’s potential. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but it is also necessary for a peaceful society, full human potential, and long-term progress.

When it comes to eradicating gender discrimination, there is a big gap between theoretical and practical factors. As a result, many ladies continue to endure discrimination based on the same grounds. As a result, for this event to be a success, society’s thinking regarding providing men and women equal status on all grounds must be changed.

International day for women and girls in science provides us an opportunity to eradicate the gender equality hurdle from the progress of science and technology. It’s also a day to honor the contributions of women and girls to science and technology.

Source : Krcmic.com