Skill gaps are a key constraint to innovation, hindering productivity growth and economic development.

 In particular, shortages in the supply of trained professionals in disciplines related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) may weaken the innovation potential of a society. Empirical studies show that countries with a higher proportion of engineering graduates tend to grow faster than countries with a higher proportion of graduates in other disciplines. In addition, future technical change is likely to be linked to abilities and tasks related to STEM disciplines. A wide gender gap has persisted over the years at all levels of STEM disciplines throughout the world. Although women have made important advances in their participation in higher education, they are still underrepresented in these fields. This problem is more acute at the senior-most levels of academic and professional hierarchies. Latin America is no exception. Although 60 percent of tertiary graduates and 45 percent of researchers in Latin America are women - surpassing all other regions, including Europe (33.9 percent), Oceania (39.2 percent), and Asia (18 percent) - in STEM disciplines this percentage drops to 36 percent. Only 11 percent of Latin American female graduates of tertiary education are in STEM fields, while STEM fields represent 12.3 percent of new enrollments at the tertiary level. Moreover, participation of Latin American women at the higher strata of research is rare. For example, while in Brazil 49 percent of researchers are female, only 27 percent of women lead research groups, compared to 32 percent for men (CNPq database, 2012). Gender equality in science, technology, and innovation is not simply a matter of fairness. A more equitable gender balance is believed to enhance the recruitment of the most talented, irrespective of gender, tapping a partially unexploited resource.

A more inclusive workforce is assumed to be more innovative and productive than one which is less so. Having scientists and engineers with diverse backgrounds, interests, and cultures assures better scientific and technological results and the best use of those results. Gender equality is seen as a way to promote scientific and technological excellence rather than just improving opportunities for women. The untapped potential of fully trained and credentialed women who might be interested in STEM but choose not to pursue degrees in these fields or who decide to change careers because of obstacles, real or perceived, represents an important lost opportunity not only for women themselves but also for society as a whole. Career impediments for women deprive societies of scarce human resources, which is detrimental to competitiveness and development. More research is needed to identify the root causes of gender disparities in these fields and to develop appropriate policy responses. Although there is growing recognition of the importance of the issue in developing countries, most of the literature on gender inequalities in STEM and the policies designed to rectify them relate to the United States and Europe. Not only are women in Latin America underrepresented in STEM fields; they are also under-measured, and the lack of information has prevented researchers from deepening understanding of the reasons for this gap. It has also prevented Latin American policy makers from designing effective interventions. This paper aims to contribute to the academic and policy debate in Latin America on gender in STEM. Section 2 reviews the main hypotheses and factors put forward in the literature to explain inequalities in recruitment, retention, and promotion up the career ladder. Section 3 presents the most important policies put in place worldwide to contribute to a better gender balance in STEM fields. Section 4 concludes with final comments.