International Day of Women and Girls in Science -11 February

On 22 December 2015, an annual International Day was established to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology.

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated on 11 February, is implemented by UNESCO and UN-Women, in collaboration institutions and civil society partners that aim to promote women and girls in science. This Day is an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. Gender equality is a global priority for UNESCO, and the support of young girls, their education and their full ability to make their ideas heard are levers for development and peace. 

SOME FACTS:

• Despite statistics that show close performance of girls and boys in science and mathematics, strong gendered stereotypes prevail: many girls are still less encouraged in STEM fields and have limited choices (if any) for their education and career development.
• Even countries that have reached gender parity in terms of researchers are still facing important challenges in achieving it in all aspects, since vertical and horizontal segregation persist as barriers.
• Women occupy a small minority of top-level positions despite an improvement in recent years and only 22 women have been awarded a Nobel prize in a scientific discipline to date.
• The 2030 Agenda includes a bold commitment «to leave no one behind»
• to shed a light on the intersecting inequalities through the collection & analysis of data that are systematically disaggregated by sex, age, income, disability, ethnicity & other relevant factor