The role of women in science and development

Women make up only 33% of the global research workforce—a figure that hides deeper, systemic inequalities. Beyond numbers, critical questions remain: What roles do women occupy in science? Under what conditions? And how do institutional structures enable or restrict their impact on scientific and development agendas?

This online webinar provides a dynamic platform for interregional dialogue, uniting voices from Africa, Latin America, and Europe. The institutional, economic, and cultural factors that shape women’s engagement in science and innovation will be explored as well as highlighting promising policy practices and strategies that promote inclusion, leadership, and lasting transformation.

In a time of increasing global fragmentation, this dialogue serves as a call to action: to build coordinated responses across regions, to bridge persistent divides, and to foster equitable, development-oriented scientific systems.

What to expect: key themes and questions

This webinar is designed to spark meaningful interregional dialogue through presentations, case studies, and an interactive panel. Both persistent challenges and opportunities for joint action between Africa and Latin America will be explored.

Key themes and questions include:

• Institutional and cultural barriers: What are the shared obstacles limiting women’s full participation in science across Latin America and Africa? How can interregional collaboration help dismantle them?
• Unpaid care work and invisible burdens: How can regional policies or initiatives be adapted or scaled through LAC–Africa cooperation to address the disproportionate impact of care responsibilities on women scientists?
• Models of leadership and reform: What successful examples of leadership, mentorship, or institutional transformation have emerged that could inspire joint strategies?
• Towards a shared agenda: What concrete recommendations should emerge from this webinar to inform the Africa–LAC agenda on gender equity in science and innovation systems?

This exchange of ideas will also help lay the groundwork for the interregional dialogue between Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, to be held in November 2025.

Speakers

• Yesenia Olaya – Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Colombia
• Jackie Kado – Executive director, Network of African Science Academics (NASAC), Kenya
• Carolina Santacruz-Pérez, Science Officer, Latin American and Caribbean Region International Science Council (ISC), Colombia
• Fernando Perini, Team Leader for Education and Science , International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
• Marcia Cristina Bernardes Barbosa, UFRGS/ Brazilian Academy of Science. Expert panel at the ISC, Brazil
• Magdalena Sajdak, UN GCNP Climate Council Member, Polish Academy of Science
  Poland
• Juan Guillermo Hoyos, Higher Education policy expert (Latin America and the Caribbean), Obreal, Colombia

Practical information

This webinar is free of charge and open to researchers, policy-makers, academic leaders, gender equity advocates, international development professionals, and all stakeholders committed to advancing inclusive science systems.

Simultaneous interpretation in English and Spanish languages will be provided.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash