Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb 11

Islamabad : Like other parts of the world the International Day of Women and Girls in Science will be marked on February 11 across the globe including Pakistan, science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals.

To rise to the challenges of the 21st century, we need to harness our full potential.

That requires dismantling gender stereotypes.

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let’s pledge to end the gender imbalance in science. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that science and gender equality were both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Over the past 15 years, the global community has made a lot of efforts in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science.

Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.

At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women.

According to UNESCO data (2014 - 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrollment is particularly low in ICT (3 per cent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 per cent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent).