Women in Science – Explore the Data for Countries Worldwide

This blog, by UNESCO's Institute for Statistics (UIS) is about a new tool which presents cross-country data regarding women working in science-oriented careers. The post is part of Wikiprogress and Wikigender's contribution to tomorrow's International Women's Day.

Just 30% of the world’s researchers are women. While a growing number of women are enrolling in university, many opt out at the highest levels required for a research career. But a closer look at the data reveals some surprising exceptions. For example, in Myanmar and Bolivia, women account for 86% and 63% respectively of scientists, compared to France with a rate of 26% or Ethiopia at 8%.

Women in Science – a new interactive tool – presents the latest available data for countries at all stages of development. Produced by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the tool lets you explore and visualize gender gaps in the pipeline leading to a research career, from the decision to get a doctorate degree to the fields of research women pursue and the sectors in which they work.

In Sweden, for example, women form the majority (60%) of students enrolled in a Bachelor’s programme, but their numbers decline as they move up the education ladder, accounting for 49% of doctoral students and only 36% of researchers. The data tool reveals this trend across every region, highlighting the conflict that many women face as they try to reconcile career ambitions with family-caring responsibilities.

Women researchers also tend to work in the academic and government sectors, while men dominate the private sector which offers better salaries and opportunities. This is the case even in countries with high shares of women scientists. In Argentina, for example, 52% of researchers are women. However, they account for only 29% of researchers employed in the private sector.

Perhaps most importantly, the data tool shows just how important it is to encourage girls to pursue mathematics and science at a young age. In every region, women researchers remain the minority in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In the Republic of Korea, for example, only 17% of researchers are women and they account for just 9% of those working in the field of engineering and technology.

By highlighting trends in different regions and countries, this tool provides a unique view on International Women’s Day (8 March). It is particularly useful for those interested in a global perspective on the gender gap in research, especially in the STEM fields. Available in English, French and Spanish, it can be easily embedded on your website, blog or social media sites.

It should be noted that this tool presents internationally comparable data produced by the Institute. This means that the indicators can be accurately compared across countries with very different contexts for women in science. Yet, due to methodological differences, data are missing for countries such as the United States or Canada. In addition, data are also missing for some developing countries that do not have the resources to collect or report R&D data. The Institute seeks to work with all countries to improve the availability of accurate data that can be compared internationally.

This post first appeared on UNESCO's Science, Technology and Innovation page, here.

See Also:
Women in Science
Women in Science Data Tool
International Women's Day (article)
OECD celebrates International Women's Day
Women in Science International League
Women in Bio-Technology
UNESCO

 

 

 

What’s at the root of women’s absence in STEM occupations?

This blog was written by Marilyn Achiron, the editor for the OECD's Directorate for Education and Skills. Despite genuine and enormous progress in education and the labour force over the past few decades, women are still under-represented in the fields of technology, mathematics and science and in high-wage occupations. Why? This blog is part of the OECD's contribution to celebrate International Women's Day.

If you sift through all the education data the OECD has produced over the past year, you’ll come up with decidedly mixed results when it comes to women’s (and girls’) progress. Education at a Glance 2013 told us that gender gaps in educational attainment are not only narrowing, but are, in some cases, reversing, and that women are now more likely than men to enter and complete a university-level programme. Results from the first Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), found that gender differences in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) have narrowed considerably among 16-24 year-olds, and that, among younger adults, there is, on average, no gender difference in proficiency in numeracy or literacy. In fact, in those countries where there is a difference between young men’s and young women’s levels of literacy, it is young women who score higher.

So, given these data, we have reason to be optimistic.

Unfortunately, this is only part of the story; there are also some other data to consider: Education at a Glance revealed that, among tertiary-educated adults, women still earn less than men (only in Austria, Belgium, Finland, New Zealand, Slovenia and Spain do the earnings of tertiary-educated women amount to 75% or more of men’s earnings; in Brazil, Chile and Estonia, university-educated women earn 65% or less of what similarly educated men earn). What might explain these gender-related disparities in pay?

As the publication also reported, women are still less likely than men to work full time; and 15-29 year-old women are twice as likely as men the same age to be neither in the labour force nor looking for a job. Meanwhile, the Survey of Adult Skills found that in all countries that participated in the survey, similar proportions of men (36%) as women (32%) are proficient in using ICTs. But the survey also found that in 15 of 23 participating countries, men use ICT at work significantly more often than women do – and that the extent to which problem-solving skills are used at work accounts for nearly half the gender gap in wages.

One of the most troubling of findings comes from the PISA 2012 survey of 15-year-old students. Based on information gathered from students through questionnaires, PISA found that, even among the highest-achieving girls (many of whom perform just as well as boys in mathematics), girls have self-sabotaging attitudes towards mathematics. They are more likely to feel anxious towards mathematics, and have less confidence in their own mathematical skills and in their ability to solve mathematics problems than boys.

These attitudes have repercussions later on, as can be seen in other data from Education at a Glance. That publication reports that, in 2011, an average of only 14% of women entering university-level education enrolled in science-related fields (which include science and engineering) or in manufacturing and construction, compared to 39% of men who entered this level of education in these fields. If so few women aim for the so-called STEM professions (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), there will continue to be few role models in these fields for young girls to emulate, and the cycle will simply perpetuate itself.

What all these data, combined, tell us is that we have no reason to be complacent. The gender gap in students’ self-beliefs about their abilities in mathematics has remained stable in most countries since 2003. In the short term, changing these mindsets may require making mathematics more interesting to girls, identifying and eliminating gender stereotypes in textbooks, promoting female role models, and using learning materials that appeal to girls. Over the longer term, shrinking the gender gap in mathematics performance will require the concerted effort of parents, teachers and society, as a whole, to change the clichéd notions of what boys and girls excel at, what they enjoy doing, and what they believe they can achieve.

Girls and women have made genuine and enormous gains in education and in the labour force over the past half century; but as long as girls continue to tell themselves that they’re no good at math – or science or engineering or any other subject where men have traditionally dominated – even in the face of hard evidence to the contrary, then we’re still losing half of our talent to the destructive power of stereotypes.

- Marilyn Achiron

For related blogs on education see the OECD's educationtoday blog.


See Also:
Education at a Glance 2012
Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship
Education
Education and Skills Category
 

International Women's Day 2011: Wikigender turns three years old today

Originally posted on OECD Insights.

Today, Wikigender celebrates its third birthday. Launched on International Women’s Day by the OECD Development Centre three years ago, this web 2.0 knowledge sharing platform focusing on gender equality issues has become a global reference point.

Originally set up to bring the debate on gender equality closer to individuals by fostering opportunities for data sharing on measures of gender equality, Wikigender has now become a lively virtual space where academics, gender experts, policy makers, statisticians, economists, development practitioners and students can actively participate and contribute to the platform on a variety of gender equality issues.

We are happy to report some key statistics:

• Over 20,000 unique visitors monthly from 180 countries, with sharp growth over the past 12 months
• Top 3 countries visiting Wikigender: U.S.A; India; U.K
• 1, 069 editors
• 1, 179 articles

Engaging with the worldwide gender community

Wikigender cannot exist alone. It only works in cooperation with other organisations such as Inter Press Service, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Finance Corporation amongst others. Wikigender also uses Facebook and Twitter as a main part of the communications strategy, delivering timely and efficient messages from the site to the broader community. The success of the platform could only come by really engaging with the worldwide gender community. Keeping it inside the OECD would not have served its purpose, nor would partnering with a couple of international organisations, with experts filling in the gaps. Yes, Wikigender enjoys many visits, new articles and edits from experts; however, a lot of rich information also comes from students and the interested public. Among the most visited focus areas of the site are the country pages and the community portal.

Country pages

Wikigender country pages give an overview of gender equality and are constantly being updated by our community of users. Originally the country pages only presented information relating to our Social Institutions and Gender Index for the 124 countries covered by the index, while the remaining countries presented information such as women’s political empowerment, women’s legal empowerment, employment discrimination, and educational parity.

Progressively, all country notes are being reviewed to include both information from the index and a general overview in those key areas. In addition, we have started to partner with other organisations to add new gender equality perspectives to the country notes – and we welcome new additions!

• 31 African countries include the campaign “Africa for Women’s Rights: Ratify and Respect!” by the FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights)
• 128 countries have a dimension on the Women, Business and the Law 2010 report by the World Bank Group
• 78 countries have a dimension on the FAO Gender and Land Rights Database

Community Portal

The Community Portal is another top hitting feature of Wikigender: each month, we focus on the gender equality issues that are the most reported in the media, and all Wikigender users are invited to add interesting articles they find in the press. Our current focus is specifically dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day, which is widely covered in the media.

Going further: Wikigender University

A lot more can be done through Wikigender. As an accessible platform, we have been working on developing programmes that will bring even more depth to the content of the site. Wikigender University is a programme currently in development. Targeting specifically students, professors and academics, this programme’s main objective is to bring together a range of universities to foster networking opportunities, create synergies with classrooms and web 2.0 technologies by adding Wikigender content to curriculums, as well as building the site further technically and substantively with the help of university students.

Wikigender started to pilot this programme last year with Paris-based universities (the Institut d’Études Politiques (Sciences Po) and the American University of Paris) whereby students got directly involved in the development of the platform by:

• creating new and innovative content
• bringing their expertise in editing existing articles, and
• promoting the site’s content through Facebook and a Twitter account specifically created for students who are members of Wikigender University.

The students reported that they found their capacity for gender research, editorial skills and information sharing using a web 2.0 tool greatly enhanced thanks to this programme. 2011 looks like a promising year as Wikigender has started to promote the concept in other countries like Mexico, Brazil, Uganda and Argentina. We are also receiving spontaneous requests from universities abroad.

If you sign up on Wikigender, you will get monthly newsletters from the Wikigender team, partners and editors which will keep you abreast of opportunities for gender research on Wikigender, information on how you can get involved in the Wikigender programmes and more.

What would Wikigender like for its third birthday from you? That you go to www.wikigender.org to sign up and contribute!

Estelle Loiseau - Wikigender

Launch of UN WOMEN: taking the first steps…

With all the attention on UN WOMEN these days, an article from the Guardian caught my eye. It is titled “Send a message to UN WOMEN” and invites readers to express their voice by sending a photo illustrating their opinions, hopes and expectations of UNWOMEN to a Flickr group created for the occasion.

On February 24^th 2011, UN WOMEN, the new United Nation’s entity solely dedicated to promoting and enhancing gender equality and women’s empowerment was created. Coinciding with the week long 55^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, the launch was celebrated with a big bang by political leaders, women leaders, media personalities and celebrities. These celebrations fit in perfectly with the upcoming next few weeks of attention on gender equality, as the current CSW will continue until March 3^rd only to be followed by International Women’s day on March 8^th. In preparation for this launch and to comment on the first steps of this new agency, journalists and bloggers have been vocal in expressing their thoughts, expectations and even their doubts on this new UN “superagency”. This is a good thing, as it attracts attention to important issues relating to gender equality. However, what happens when all of this will die off in a few weeks’ time when the party’s over? Hopefully the creation of UN WOMEN will be able to keep the momentum on women’s advancement going, even after this month’s frenzy of activity on the topic.

The Guardian’s initiative is a great and original way to keep people involved and ask them what they think about UN WOMEN. It keeps attention on the issue of women’s empowerment rather than on institutional and bureaucratic questions. Others express concerns on the lag it took the Agency to become operational and also on its financing. But for an organisation that was long awaited by gender practitioners and advocates this seems normal, as any transition phase usually can be bumpy.

A more important concern is that by merging four international agencies and offices and centralising gender issues in one organisation, the risk is to overshadow other organisations that have projects and divisions working on gender. The biggest risk is mostly for NGOs and grassroot organisations – will they still receive adequate support and funding? Or will it all go to UN WOMEN? It is important to have one strong entity focusing on this topic but also to keep the light on other very important projects and initiatives led by more technical and specialised organisations.

Let’s wait and see….

Nejma Bouchama