This International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Let’s Look at How Women have Achieved in Technology

The UN General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015

Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past decades, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet, women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.

In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the UN General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.

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. 

Science is often considered a male-dominated field. In fact, according to United Nations data, less than 30% of scientific researchers worldwide are women. Studies have shown that women are discouraged from, or become less interested in, entering the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) beginning at a young age. And according to the Pew Research Center, women remain underrepresented in engineering, computer science, and physical science.

But despite challenges of gender discrimination and lack of recognition in the scientific community, countless inspiring women in these fields have made historic contributions to science and helped advance understanding of the world around us. 

In this fast-changing world, facts also change, and in some cases for the better. In recent times a number of women are becoming real game-changers in the tech world. Making a highly effective blend of impeccable academic background and intensive on-the-job experience they are displaying extraordinary ability to guide their respective companies to high peaks of success. 

Such development reveals what has been hidden from us so far: that gender bias, with women at the receiving end, is a mental construct of the patriarchal forces. It shows that the argument that the 'weaker sex' is not up to the mark in performing in the high-tech world is a myth to put women in subordinate positions. 

Women are increasingly turning to technology to build peace and reduce gender inequality. Just as smartphones and mobile internet facilitate key functions of daily life, they also bring the world women's voices once confined to the home or marketplace. It is a development with the tremendous promise that the international community needs to support by widening access to technology, reducing social barriers to it, and providing training that boosts proficiency.