The Ministry of Science’s latest annual public report highlighted notable progress in gender equity: an updated national policy with 80 measures, 83% progress and more women in leadership positions. However, we still face major challenges. Only 35% of STEM researchers are women, and this gap is also reflected in the world of science- and technology-based startups.
Initiatives such as the «Más mujeres en startups» (More Women in Startups) roundtable seek to make visible and tackle obstacles that go beyond access to funding: from the burden of caregiving to the lack of economic autonomy. We need policies that include gender-focused funding, inclusive evaluation criteria and real support for balancing work and personal life.
We celebrate progress such as gender-parity scholarships and anti-discrimination protocols, but it is urgent to keep working so that more women scientists lead companies, develop technology and transform the country. Because a more diverse science is, as the minister says, better science.
Fernanda Maldonado
Strategic Alliances Manager, Know Hub Chile
