This Day in History: 2025-02-11

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated on February 11 and is implemented by UNESCO and the UN, in collaboration with civil society and institutions that promote women and girls in science. Over the next fifteen years, scientific research will play a major role in monitoring relevant trends in areas such as food safety, health, water and sanitation, energy, ocean governance, terrestrial ecosystems, and climate change. Women will play a key role in implementing the goals of sustainable development by helping to identify global problems and seek solutions. Despite the outstanding contributions of women to education and work over the past few decades, progress has been uneven. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), only 28% of the world’s researchers are women. Women are still underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, both at the educational and research levels. The lack of recognition of women’s achievements contributes to the misconception that women cannot engage in science or at least not as well as men. This situation requires a change of attitude and the breaking down of stereotypes: girls need to believe in themselves as scientists, researchers, innovators, engineers and inventors.