Current Status of Women and Girls in Science.

Globally, women constitute approximately one third of scientific researchers, a ratio that has demonstrated minimal variation over the past decade. At the upper levels of scientific hierarchies, this proportion declines: for instance, only 12% of the members of the national academies of science are women. These percentages vary among countries, with no specific correlation between a country’s wealth and its success in achieving gender parity in science. The percentage of women scientists varies by region. According to the latest data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, this ranges from 23% of female researchers (in head counts*) in South Asia to 27% in Southeast Asia, 32% in sub-Saharan Africa, 34% in the European Union, 41% in Arab States, 44% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 47% in Central Asia and 52% in Southeast Europe. However, not all countries have reliable data, limiting reporting on the extent of gender gaps in science. In the dataset gathered by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, 98 countries have not supplied data for the period 2018 to 2021. The gender gap varies across scientific disciplines. Some fields, such as physics, tend to attract more men than women, whereas life sciences and health disciplines often showcase a more balanced gender distribution and, in some countries, a majority of women [vi]. The gaps are greatest in engineering and computer science. Globally, women composed only 28% of engineering graduates and 40% of computer science graduates in 2018 (latest available data) [vii]. In high-income countries, according to Nature Reviews Physics, the percentage of women in post-graduate physics positions has stalled at just below 20% [viii]. In general, women continue to constitute a minority within domains pivotal to propelling the Fourth Industrial Revolution and shaping the future landscape of the job market, such as in artificial intelligence where women constitute a mere 22% of professionals [ix].

The observed differences in women’s participation in science in various countries and scientific disciplines demonstrate that the gender gaps in science is neither a product of innate differences between women and men nor correlated with a country’s level of economic development. Rather, these differences mirror an array of societal factors and systemic barriers that hinder the access of women and girls to scientific careers. These barriers include social, cultural and gender norms which guide expectations and roles and which generate low levels of self-efficacy, lack of visible role models, underrepresentation in leadership roles, poorly qualified teachers, unsupportive learning environments and inadequate professional structures and work cultures [x]. All these factors contribute to the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon preventing women from rising to higher positions or achieving equal success compared to their male colleagues.