La Fundación Aranzadi LA LEY lanza Mujeres por Derecho con motivo del Día de la Mujer, una selección de artículos de juristas que destacan cómo la igualdad enriquece y democratiza la sociedad. En esta iniciativa participa Alicia Muñoz Lombardia, miembro del Patronato de Womyc. Desde abril de 2021, más de 300 mujeres han participado, consolidando este foro como referente en el debate sobre el papel femenino en el ámbito jurídico. https://www.legaltoday.com/actualidad-juridica/mujeres-por-derecho/malos-tiempos-para-el-feminismo-2025-03-10/
Why are girls not interested in science?
Last year, the UNESCO published a report entitled “Cracking the Code: girls’ and women’s education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)” which can be downloaded from (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000253479). In this report, they examined the factors that influence girls’ and women’s participation, performance, and retention in STEM education, and consider how the education sector can effectively foster their interest and involvement in these fields. In their report, they found that women remain underrepresented in STEM fields, making up only 22% of the workforce in these fields across G20 countries. This only represents a 3% increase since their previous report in 2021.
A significant concern in many countries is not only limited numbers of girls going to school but also limited educational pathways for those that step into the classroom. This is reflected by the fact that only 35% of STEM graduates are women and this can drop to just 26% in engineering. In their report they found that the degree of gender equality in wider society influences girls’ involvement in STEM. For example, in those countries with greater gender equality, girls tend to perform better in mathematics and the gender gap in obtaining high marks in the subject is smaller. Importantly, gender stereotypes presented in the media are often absorbed by both children and adults, shaping their self-perception and views of others. The media has the power to either reinforce or challenge biased ideas about who is suited for STEM skills and careers. In order to increase girls’ and women’s interest in, and engagement with, STEM education a series of interventions including some at individual, family, school and societal level have been developed.
To promote the development of positive STEM identity at an individual levels, girls should be exposed to STEM experiences. In support of this, the UNESCO together with the Government of Kenya, the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) and the University of Nairobi organize annual Scientific Camps of Excellence for Mentoring Girls in STEM which are focused on demystifying stereotypes.
From early ages, girls and women receive comments in their families that can make them think science is not for them. To overcome this problem, awareness-raising campaigns targeting parent’s perceptions have been carried out in some countries alongside significant improvements to STEM education. Teachers also need to understand why their girl students do not want to pursue a career in STEM. TeachHer is an UNESCO initiative focused on generating gender-responsive lesson plans and inspiring teenagers to pursue STEM careers this can be done for example by the creation of classroom environments that fosters interests in STEM via project-based learning.
Policies can also have a positive impact in the participation of girls in STEM. For example, in Germany the government has developed a National Plan to address gender gaps in STEM education and employment.
Despite all these efforts, low female participation in STEM is still a fact. Broader efforts are needed to advance gender equality in STEM. Some of the ongoing interventions alongside the development of programmes that address teacher’s perception to implement a deliver a gender-responsive curricula can be the basis to increase the interest of girls in STEM.