International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a commemoration that falls on February 11 UNESCO wanted to raise awareness on the topic of gender stereotypes in science, in order to combat the problem of the so-called The dream gender gap.
More precisely, today is about having women in STEM (the English acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), to encourage young scientists and researchers and all women who commit every day to study and work to make their contribution to society, as well as young women who aspire to pursue a career in science.
The gender stereotype is formed and manifested, in fact, in the identification of contents, aspirations and behaviors that refer women to the chosen roles not on the basis of an accurate fulfillment of their own aspirations, but on the basis of what is socially expected by convention. , predetermined and generally accepted.
Unfortunately, many women are still on the sidelines in the STEM sectors, that is, in technical and scientific subjects: physics, chemistry, robotics, mathematics and various branches of engineering.
According to the latest UNESCO report, in fact, only 33% of researchers are women. In Italy only a small percentage, less than 20%, of female students appear to be enrolled in a science degree course, and it is believed that the reasons why girls engage with the STEM sectors so little is mainly due to stereotypes and prejudices rooted in the Society, where women are less inclined to science than men.
In Italy, Rita Levi-Montalcini, Margherita Hack, Samantha Cristoforetti, Fabiola Gianotti, Ilaria Capua are just some of the female supermodels, who have passionately achieved important goals and made incredible contributions to the scientific field.
So we celebrate this important day, with the hope of dismantling the stereotypes and gender biases that hold women and girls in the pursuit of a career for Stem.
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