International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Every year, on February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated. On this day, the UN calls on all states of the world, all people and organizations to promote equal participation of men and women in research, their advancement in science and in other areas related to the development of scientific knowledge. This holiday has already established itself as one of the important mechanisms for drawing attention to the problem of gender equality in society.

Achieving qualitative changes in the process of involving girls and women in the scientific field is very important. In recent years, the number of scientists around the world has increased significantly, and the volume of scientific publications has increased, but women are still underrepresented in science and technology. According to statistics, women now make up only 30 % of all researchers in the world; in Russia, this figure is higher and reaches 41 %. In addition, almost 57% of students in Russia are women. But, even if girls are educated in science and technology, they are much less likely to stay in it, especially in mathematics, physics and engineering.

Ivanovo State University supports the ideas of the holiday: scientists of the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Personnel Management are engaged in gender research, the scientific journal "Woman in Russian Society" is published, members of the department are actively involved in the activities of the international organization "Federation of Women with University Education", organize conferences, round tables and open lectures. Every year, the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Human Resources Management conducts research that confirms the need to motivate girls and women to be engaged in science and technical disciplines, and subsequently to build a career in this field.

Thus, according to a survey conducted in February 2021 among IvSU undergraduates (n=200 people), the desire to build a career as a scientist is more often demonstrated by young men, and girls in this case are more likely to note self-doubt. At the same time, the profession of a scientist is perceived by students, on the one hand, as useful and interesting, and on the other hand, as quite complex and stressful. The results of the survey are presented in more detail in the infographic:

The Research Department of IvSU congratulates all girls and women engaged in research and development on the holiday and expresses confidence that your personal example will expand the circle of talented researchers, bringing new perspectives, talents and creativity to the development of the region, the country and the world!