BEIJING: Despite challenges, global experts called for more opportunities for women scientists in light of technological advancements and global issues at the 2023 World Women Scientists Conference, which kicked off on Saturday in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province.
“Currently, women remain significantly underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Worldwide, only around a third of researchers are women. Additionally, women account for just 25 percent of science, engineering, and ICT (information and communications technology) jobs globally,” said Beate Trankmann, resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China, at the conference.
Trankmann noted that this gap not only put women at risk of being marginalized and excluded from the economy of the future but also limits the contributions women can make to designing the future and driving progress through the field of science. That’s why she highlighted that increasing women’s participation in science will also drive overall economic growth. Elies Molins, co-president of the World Federation of Scientific Workers, also pointed out that gender inequality among scientific workers hampers technological innovation. To address this, biases against female scientists must be eliminated and more inclusive working environments should be created. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
