No longer is it necessary to rank in the top ten, thirty, or forty percent of your class in order to be admitted to the science class during senior year of high school in your native country. Rather from being an option, science and technology are now seen as necessary life skills. Advancing gender parity in STEM fields is about more than just doing the right thing; it can spur creativity, business expansion, and social advancement.
There is a persistent gender imbalance in science and technology, but this can be changed by encouraging more women and girls to pursue careers in these areas. The historical underrepresentation of women in STEM fields has stunted both their career and personal advancement chances and the breadth of innovation in these fields. Researchers have shown that diverse teams, particularly those that include women, generate more novel ideas and have their findings acknowledged more often. In 2020, two women—Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier—won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work developing the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique. This breakthrough was a huge step forward in biomedicine. They have shown via their efforts that women can make a big difference in science and lead to important discoveries.
In addition, there can be significant societal and economic effects from using technology to empower women. Women can find more educational options, healthcare data, and digital platforms to use on the go. Kenya is just one of several nations where mobile banking services like M-Pesa have changed the face of banking, opening doors for women to own their own enterprises, become economically independent, and contribute more to national GDP. Coursera and Khan Academy are only two examples of online educational resources that help girls and women, particularly in underprivileged areas, gain access to computer science, data analysis, and other marketable skills that might improve their employment chances. Thousands of African women were empowered with relevant digital tools from the comfort of their own homes through the work of my team and the Techy Train Incubator Foundation.
Communities can become safer and healthier when technology is developed with women in mind and used to tackle specific issues they encounter. The SafeCity app, for instance, compiles reports of sexual harassment and assault in public areas and then uses user-generated data to pinpoint the locations where these crimes have occurred. Insights like this can help authorities beef up security in particular regions. Also, innovations can have a direct impact on women’s and children’s health through wearable gadgets like the Bempu bracelet, which monitors infants’ temperatures to prevent hypothermia.
When it comes to solving global problems like climate change, empowering girls and women in STEM fields is equally important. Environmental deterioration and disasters disproportionately impact women, especially in rural areas of developing nations. Not only are their immediate needs met, but they also play a crucial role in achieving long-term environmental solutions when they are involved in developing sustainable technology and practices. By providing solar lights and clean cookstoves to their communities, women in Africa are empowered to become entrepreneurs through the Solar Sister program. By doing so, we can lessen our dependency on dangerous fossil fuels and elevate women to positions of leadership in the movement toward renewable energy.
Honoring the women in STEM who are influencing the future generation of development engineers, I would want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Kotila, who oversaw my undergraduate final project and encouraged me to pursue a career in healthcare transformation, as well as Professors Kara Nelson and Yael who are currently shaping the next generation of development engineers.
If we want to encourage creativity, boost economic growth, and solve some of the world’s most critical problems, we must ensure that women and girls have equal access to scientific and technological opportunities. Societies may tap into a vast reservoir of innovation, resiliency, and advancement if they eliminate gender disparities in STEM disciplines, increase women’s access to digital resources, and include them in the design of innovations that address their needs.
I wish all women and girls a very happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
