International Day of Women and Girls in Science

• The UN observes International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11.

• A significant gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines all over the world. 

• Even though women have made tremendous progress towards increasing their participation in higher education, they are still under-represented in these fields.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the gap is particularly pronounced in technology, where women represent just 26 per cent of the workforce in data and artificial intelligence, and 12 per cent in cloud computing. 

• This day is a reminder that women and girls play a critical role in science and technology communities and that their participation should be strengthened.

Women make up only 35% of STEM graduates

• Globally, young women are more likely than young men to pursue higher education.

• About 46 per cent enroll within five years of completing secondary school, compared with 40 per cent of men. However, women make up only 35 per cent of science graduates.

• Women continue to be under-represented in scientific research worldwide. 

• In 2022, just 31.1 per cent of researchers were women, highlighting persistent gender gaps in the field.

• Fewer than 2 per cent of applicants for jobs in the quantum sector are women — just one in 54. 

• Moreover, 80 per cent of quantum companies reportedly have no senior female leaders.

• Out of thousands of scientific articles in water-related disciplines, fewer than 100 addressed both gender or women and hydrology. In 2022, nine of the top 21 hydrology journals published no articles referencing gender, while the rest published only one to 14.

• In cutting edge fields such as artificial intelligence, only one in five professionals (22 per cent) is a woman.

This year’s theme

• This year’s theme is ‘Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance: Building Inclusive Futures for Women and Girls’.

• As societies grapple with widening inequalities, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), social science, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and finance emerges as a four-pillar approach to accelerate inclusive and sustainable development.

• AI offers powerful tools for data analytics, health diagnostics, climate modelling and more.

• However, without targeted interventions, its benefits risk bypassing women and girls. 

• Social science insights guide the design of equitable policies, community engagement and behaviour-change strategies, ensuring that STEM and AI innovations reach marginalised groups. 

• STEM disciplines provide the technical skills required to develop, implement and maintain AI solutions, while fostering gender-balanced research teams. 

• Financial mechanisms — including impact investing, blended finance and gender-smart funds — unlock capital to scale women-led innovations and sustainably fund STEM education and research and development (R&D).

• Synergising these four domains can help dismantle persistent barriers by closing gender gaps in digital skills, catalysing women-driven startups, advancing gender-responsive AI governance, and mobilising finance that embeds social inclusion as a performance metric.