The Organization of Women Scientistis in the Developing World (OWSD) in Honduras

The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), a unit of UNESCO, was established to empower women scientists, particularly in developing countries. OWSD is also a Member of the ISC and connects women globally, offering training, professional development, and networking opportunities to bolster their leadership in science and technology.

The OWSD Honduras chapter, created in 2020, is dedicated to identifying and establishing opportunities for Honduran women to advance their professional careers in science.

In Latin America, women scientists face significant challenges due to gender stereotypes, family responsibilities, limited resources, and insufficient institutional support. These factors collectively restrict their participation and limit their development opportunities, leading to a marked underrepresentation of women in the region’s scientific community. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), women’s participation in scientific research in Latin America has increased, with women now constituting 45% of researchers in the region (1).

However, in Honduras, only 21.5% of researchers in engineering and technology are women. While this representation improves in medical, health, and social sciences, it remains inadequate (2). Additionally, significant gender gaps exist in digital skills acquisition, disproportionately affecting women in Latin America. Currently, four out of 10 women are either not connected or cannot afford effective connectivity (3). The OWSD Honduras chapter recognizes the urgency of addressing these issues and advocates for role models and support networks to help overcome these barriers.

Globally, and specifically within Honduras, OWSD plays a pivotal role in empowering women scientists by promoting networks and opportunities that enable them to lead social transformation and progress toward a more equitable and prosperous future. Empowering women in science fosters a more inclusive and diverse approach to solving global challenges.

ISC and Gender

The ISC is working with partners, including OWSD, the Standing Committee on Gender Equality in Science and the InterAcademy Partnership to continue previous work on advancing gender equality in science. A new comprehensive follow-up study to the initial gender in science surveys conducted in 2015 and 2020, in the framework of UNESCO’s recent call, “Closing the Gender Gap in Science: Accelerating Action” will be launched in 2025.

These surveys aim to ascertain the inclusion and participation of women in science academies and international science unions, members of the IAP and the ISC, providing critical quantitative baselines for assessing progress in gender equality within science organizations.

Gender Equality in Science: Inclusion and Participation of Women in Global Science Organizations

A study reporting on the inclusion and participation of women in more than 120 science organizations that are coordinated at a global level finds that women are still under-represented. It calls for the establishment of a coalition on gender equality in global science to ensure a transformative action agenda.

Download report

Standing Committee on Gender Equality in Science

The Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES) brings together international unions to promote gender equality in science by supporting partners in implementing recommendations from the Gender Gap in Science Project. It approves new partners, endorses gender equality initiatives, organize webinars and fosters collaboration by maintaining effective communication, including through its website.

ISC Members can join the Standing Committee by visiting the website and registering for one or more of the action areas.

UNESCO

UNESCO recently launched its call to action on closing the gender gap, citing that lack of gender equality in science is not just a problem that affects women, it limits scientific progress and hamstrings a country’s development and its efforts to build peaceful societies (4).

The action areas which the ISC and its community are involved in include:

• Dismantle gender stereotypes and biases in science through increased visibility of role models
• Open educational pathways for girls in science through innovative education stratgegies and initiatives
• Create empowering workplace environments through policies and actions that promote inclusion, diversity and equity

You can register your interest in this campaign by visiting the UNESCO website:

References

1.    UNESCO, Interview: Girls’ and women’s engagement in STEM education and careers in Latin America, 2023. URL: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/interview-girls-and-womens-engagement-stem-education-and-careers-latin-america [accessed 27/08/2024].

2.    UN Women, United Nations. Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region, 2020. URL: https://lac.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications [accessed 27/08/2024]

3.    United Nations. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Gender equality and women’s and girls’ autonomy in the digital era: contributions of education and digital transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2023. URL: www.issuu.com/publicacionescepal/stacks [accessed 27/08/2024]

4. UNESCO, Call to Action to Close the Gender Gap in Science, https://www.unesco.org/en/science-technology-and-innovation/cta [accessed 12/09/24]

Image by UN Women on Flickr