In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Every February 11, it recognizes full and equal access to and participation in science, technology and innovation for women and girls of all ages, which is essential to achieving gender equality.
Both nationally and internationally, gaps remain in equitable access for women and girls to fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The government has created several initiatives to change this situation. I want to highlight the “Más Mujeres Científicas” (+MC) initiative, launched in December 2023, which aims to help close gender gaps while strengthening and increasing women’s participation in STEM-related degree programs. It does so by offering additional places to women who want to study in these fields. In this first year, 39 universities in the national admissions system (Sistema de Acceso) joined, with 2,358 places in 410 degree programs, increasing the number of places for women in these programs by 6.5%.
But that was not all the +MC initiative achieved. In 2024, the percentage of women admitted to STEM programs rose; according to DEMRE data, the figure increased by 16.8% compared with the previous year, raising the share of women in these programs from 27.2% to 30.2%.
This outstanding initiative, carried out jointly by the Ministries of Education; Women and Gender Equity; and Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, together with higher education institutions, had a positive impact on women’s access to STEM programs.
But much remains to be done. Clearly, initiatives are lacking not only in higher education but also in preschool, primary and secondary education. They are also needed in areas such as the participation of women who found science-based startups (EBCTs) and who take an active part in the venture capital industry.
This International Day of Women and Girls in Science should not only make us see what we have achieved as a country in this area in recent years, but also be the engine that drives us to create more initiatives, both public and private, that help close the gap and change the perception of whether girls and women can participate actively in science, technology and innovation. Ultimately, this will allow us to achieve the long-awaited knowledge society and economy that drives the development of our country and its people.
Jovanka Trebotich.
Innovation Coordinator, Know Hub Chile.
Read the original article at https://portaleduca.cl/por-ninas-y-mujeres-activas/
