Each year on the 11th of February, the world marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a global observance dedicated to recognizing the contributions of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and confronting the persistent inequalities that limit their full participation. Established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 70/212, the day serves both as a celebration of achievement and as a powerful reminder that gender equality in science remains unfinished business.
Science has shaped every aspect of modern life; from life-saving medicines and clean energy technologies to digital tools that define how societies communicate and work. Yet the benefits and opportunities of scientific progress have not been shared equally. Despite decades of advocacy and reform, women and girls across the world continue to face structural, cultural and institutional barriers that restrict access to scientific education, research opportunities and leadership positions. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science places these realities firmly in the global spotlight, urging governments, institutions, educators and communities to accelerate efforts towards inclusion.
The global gender gap in science
The underrepresentation of women in STEM is not merely anecdotal; it is reflected in global data. According to UNESCO, women account for less than one-third of the world’s researchers. While participation varies significantly by region and discipline, the overall picture remains one of imbalance. Women are more likely to be concentrated in certain areas such as life sciences and healthcare, while remaining starkly underrepresented in engineering, computer science, physics and technology-driven fields.
This imbalance is not simply a question of fairness. Diverse research teams have been shown to produce more innovative, relevant and socially responsive outcomes. When women’s perspectives are excluded or marginalized, scientific inquiry risks overlooking key social dimensions and lived experiences that shape real-world problems. From medical research that fails to account for gender differences in symptoms and treatment responses, to technological design that does not consider the needs of women users, the consequences of exclusion can be profound and, at times, harmful.
From classrooms to careers: where inequality begins
Gender disparities in STEM often take root early in life. In many societies, subtle yet persistent stereotypes shape how children are encouraged to learn. Girls may be praised for diligence and neatness, while boys are encouraged to explore, experiment and take risks; qualities closely associated with scientific innovation.
Teachers, parents and peers may unconsciously steer girls away from subjects such as physics, computing and engineering, framing them as “too difficult” or “unsuitable” for women.
These biases intensify during adolescence, when social expectations and cultural norms exert greater influence. In many parts of the world, early marriage, domestic responsibilities and limited access to secondary or tertiary education disproportionately affect girls. Even where education is formally available, social pressures and lack of visible female role models can discourage young women from envisioning themselves as scientists, engineers or technologists.
The long-term effects are visible in higher education and professional life. Although the number of women earning degrees in science and engineering rose significantly in countries such as the United States during the latter half of the twentieth century, progress has since slowed. In the United Kingdom, long-term studies have shown that female participation in STEM fields has remained largely static over a 25-year period. These patterns point to deep-rooted structural issues that cannot be solved through access to education alone.
Regional contrasts and shared challenges
While the gender gap in STEM is a global phenomenon, its contours differ across regions. In parts of the Arab world, women account for between 60 and 80 per cent of enrolments in science-related courses at universities. On paper, this suggests impressive progress. Yet many of these women face significant barriers when transitioning from education to employment. Cultural expectations, workplace discrimination, limited leadership opportunities and inadequate institutional support often prevent highly qualified women from building sustained scientific careers.
In developing regions such as Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean, the challenges are often compounded by poverty, under-resourced education systems and limited research infrastructure. Girls may be the first to leave school during times of economic hardship, while scientific careers are perceived as impractical or inaccessible. Even when women do enter STEM fields, they frequently encounter pay gaps, fewer promotion opportunities and a lack of recognition for their work.
Pioneers who changed the landscape
Despite these barriers, women have made transformative contributions to science, often in the face of extraordinary obstacles. Their stories illuminate both the scale of women’s achievements and the systemic inequalities that have historically obscured them. Frances Arnold revolutionized bioengineering by developing a method known as directed evolution, which uses the principles of natural selection to create new enzymes with practical applications. Her work has had far-reaching impacts across medicine, chemical manufacturing and renewable energy. In 2018, she became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on her own, challenging longstanding assumptions about who leads in experimental science.
In physics, Donna Strickland’s development of chirped pulse amplification enabled the production of ultra-short, high-intensity laser pulses. This breakthrough has become fundamental to technologies ranging from eye surgery to advanced materials processing. Yet when she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018, she was still an associate professor, a fact that sparked global debate about how women’s contributions in science are recognized and rewarded. Tu Youyou’s story underscores the power of interdisciplinary thinking and cultural knowledge. Drawing on ancient Chinese medical texts, she identified artemisinin as a treatment for malaria, a disease that continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Her willingness to test the compound on herself reflected both personal courage and the limitations placed on researchers working outside established Western scientific institutions. As the first mainland Chinese scientist to win a Nobel Prize in a scientific category, Tu’s achievement challenged conventional definitions of scientific authority and expertise.
The role of the United Nations and global partnerships
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is coordinated at the United Nations Headquarters by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT), in collaboration with UNESCO, UN Women and other UN agencies. Member states, universities, research institutions, corporations and civil society organizations participate in events that range from policy dialogues and academic panels to mentorship initiatives and public awareness campaigns.
Each year, the observance is guided by a theme that highlights a specific dimension of gender equality in science, such as leadership, innovation or access to emerging technologies. These themes encourage targeted discussion and action, linking the observance to broader UN goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, Sustainable Development Goal 5, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, underscores the centrality of women’s participation in science to sustainable development.
Beyond official UN events, grassroots initiatives around the world use 11th February as a platform to engage communities, schools and workplaces. Science fairs led by girls, mentorship programmes connecting young women with established researchers, and campaigns challenging gender stereotypes in education all contribute to shifting public perceptions of who belongs in science.
Emerging technologies and the future of inclusion
As the world enters a new era shaped by artificial intelligence, biotechnology, renewable energy and space exploration, the stakes for gender equality in STEM are higher than ever. These fields are redefining economies, reshaping labour markets and influencing how societies address existential challenges such as climate change and global health crises. Excluding women from these spaces’ risks reproducing existing inequalities in the technologies that will govern future life.
Artificial intelligence, for instance, reflects the values and biases of those who design it. When development teams lack gender diversity, AI systems are more likely to perpetuate discriminatory outcomes, from biased recruitment algorithms to facial recognition technologies that perform poorly on women. Similarly, climate science and renewable energy policy benefit from inclusive perspectives that account for how environmental degradation and resource scarcity disproportionately affect women in many communities. Ensuring women’s leadership in these emerging fields is therefore not simply a matter of representation; it is central to building technologies and policies that are ethical, equitable and socially responsive.
Building supportive ecosystems
Efforts to close the gender gap in STEM increasingly focus on building supportive ecosystems that address barriers at every stage of the scientific pipeline. Scholarships and financial incentives can reduce economic obstacles to education. Mentorship and sponsorship programmes provide young women with guidance, networks and confidence to navigate male-dominated environments. Institutional reforms, including transparent hiring practices, parental leave policies and flexible working arrangements, help retain women in research and leadership roles. Workplace cultures are also slowly evolving. Research institutions and corporations are beginning to recognize the importance of tackling harassment, unconscious bias and unequal workloads. Leadership training programmes aimed at women scientists help address the persistent underrepresentation of women in senior positions, where decisions about funding, research priorities and institutional culture are made.
More than a celebration
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is not merely symbolic. It is a platform for advocacy, accountability and collective action. By spotlighting both the achievements of women scientists and the barriers they face, the observance challenges complacency and calls for sustained commitment from governments, educators, employers and communities. True equality in science will not be achieved through isolated initiatives or short-term campaigns. It requires systemic change: dismantling stereotypes in education, reforming institutional practices, investing in inclusive research environments and amplifying women’s voices in scientific leadership. When women and girls are empowered to participate fully in STEM, the benefits extend far beyond individual careers. Science becomes more innovative, more ethical and more capable of addressing the complex, interconnected challenges of the modern world. As the world marks 11th February each year, the message is both urgent and hopeful. Supporting women and girls in science is not only a matter of justice; it is essential to the future of knowledge, innovation and human progress. Breaking barriers in STEM is, ultimately, about building a world in which talent and curiosity, not gender, determine who gets to shape the discoveries that define our shared future.
