International Day of Women and Girls in Science

On 22 December 2015, the General Assembly decided to establish an annual International Day to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology, through Resolution A/RES/70/212.

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.

This year's celebration focuses on Closing the Gender Gap in Science: Accelerating Action, with an event on 9 February.

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Tackling some of the greatest challenges of the Agenda for Sustainable Development - from improving health to combating climate change - will rely on harnessing all talent. That means getting more women working in these fields. Diversity in research expands the pool of talented researchers, bringing in fresh perspectives, talent and creativity. This Day is a reminder that women and girls play a critical role in science and technology communities and that their participation should be strengthened.

Woman scientist taking a water sample for analysis

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Facts & Figures

Although Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are widely regarded as critical to national economies, so far most countries, no matter their level of development, have not achieved gender equality in STEM.

33.3%

global average percentage of female researchers

and only 35% of all students in STEM related fields of study are women

30%

of all countries

with data available on the national share of women researchers had reached parity in 2016

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

UNESCO Call to Action: closing the gender gap in science

UNESCO

2024

Use this hashtag to join the conversation, defy gender stereotypes and spread the word on the need to include more women and girls in STEM fields.

Take a stance

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let’s reiterate this fundamental message: women need science, and science needs women. Only by tapping into all sources of knowledge, all sources of talent, can we unlock the full potential of science, and rise to the challenges of our time.