Today is February 11, which marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This year's 9th Assembly took place on February 8-9, 2024, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
Women leaders and experts in science, government officials, representatives of international organizations, and the private sector gathered to discuss women's leadership in achieving sustainable development goals, which aim for economic prosperity, social justice, and environmental integrity.
Last year, the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres announced that the International Day of Women and Girls in Science would focus on the role of women and girls in science related to sustainable development goals.
The theme for the 2023 event was "Innovate. Demonstrate. Elevate. Advance. I.D.E.A.: Bringing communities Forward for sustainable and equitable development."
The 8th Assembly aimed to build a bridge between the international community and women in science by linking their knowledge and expertise with its applications systematically and critically for the 2030 agenda and its 17 global goals.
The 7th Assembly brought together women in science, experts, government officials, international organizations, and the private sector to discuss the water nexus in achieving the three pillars of sustainable development: economic prosperity, social justice, and environmental integrity.
To mark the occasion in 2020, the Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, and the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of U.N. Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka released statements about the imbalance in science, technology, engineering, and math.
"Over the past 15 years, the global community has made significant efforts to inspire and engage women and girls in science. However, women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science," Guterres said. "Presently, less than 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women," he noted, citing UNESCO data from 2014 - 2016, which shows that only around 30 percent of all female students choose STEM-related fields in higher education.
"Globally, female students' enrollment is particularly low in I.C.T. (3 percent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 percent), and in engineering, manufacturing, and construction (8 percent)," he added.
Guterres said long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are steering girls and women away from science-related fields. "As in the real world, the world on-screen reflects similar biases," he said.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of U.N. Women, highlighted the same challenges. "We still have a long way to go to tackle the challenges that remain for women and girls in science," she said. "Less than 30 percent of the world's researchers are women, with studies showing that women in STEM are published less, paid less for their research, and do not advance as far as men in their careers."
She called for more young people to be exposed to positive role models, such as female engineers, astronauts, and researchers.
Guterres emphasized that rising to the challenges of the 21st century requires harnessing the world's full potential, which means dismantling gender stereotypes.
He added that the Women's Empowerment Principles, developed by U.N. Women, offer guidance for companies and others.
"In this year, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we bring new urgency to promoting women's and girls' access to science education, training, and jobs. On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let's pledge to end the gender imbalance in science."
