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#ChangeTheNumbers Women in Science

#ChangeTheNumbers Women in Science

In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 11 February as "International Day of Women and Girls in Science". On the other hand, the manifesto Change the numbers (#changethenumbers), promoted by the United National Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the L'Oreal Foundation, has been functioning already 15 years in Spain. Doñana Biological Stations- CSIC joins these initiatives by drawing attention to the obvious bias between the number of men and women working as scientific researchers. While women make up 49% of the total CSIC staff, this proportion drops to 35% when concerning only its research staff and to 25% for Research Professors (highest level of the scientific career). In the scientific Area of "Natural Resources" of CSIC, to which the Doñana Biological Station (EBD) belongs, these values show even greater differences, with 25% of its research staff being women and 14% of its research professors. This area presents one of the largest biases of the 8 CSIC areas, together with "Scientific and Technological Physics". EBD, in turn, shows numbers even below these averages, with only 7 women in its research staff (18%), of which only 1 is Research Professor (8%). At the same time, these differences are not so pronounced at the beginning of the scientific career: 42% of EBD PhD students are women. What happens during the long career from starting a degree until reaching establishment in the scientific community, period which can easily extend over 15 years? EBD wants to contribute to this International Day of Women in Science claiming the existence of such differences between men and women in research and drawing attention to the numbers, objective and conclusive. Additionally, we appeal to the institutions on the necessity to debate and analyze the causes and find solutions that guaranty full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. The absence of female role models in research and the low numbers of women in science is worsened by the invisibility of many of their achievements.  In order to inspire and engage more girls and women in science, several women tell about their work as EBD researchers and their and passion for science in the attached document.


https://11defebrero.org/