Ten Years of International Women and Girls in Science Day: Progress and barriers to equal representation

International Women and Girls in Science Day 2025 is the tenth celebration of this event, which began in 2015. It is a time to reflect on developments over the past decade, with increasing representation of female STEM graduates and researchers across a number of disciplines, and celebrate policies which support women in STEM workplaces. However, there are still areas of science in which women are under-represented, so consideration of persisting challenges remains important. UNESCO is hosting a number of talks and sessions on February 11th, focused on “Unpacking STEM Careers: Her Voice in Science”, which can be joined both in person and online.  

Understanding the issue

Over the past decade, it is clear that female representation in science has increased: in 2016 only 21% of the STEM workforce identified as female, whilst in 2023 this had increased to 26% (1). Although this is a modest percentage increase, the overall number of graduates in STEM has also increased, which means the net number is growing. 

However, the minority issue remains: In the 2022-2023 academic year, female and non-binary students accounted for only 31% of core STEM students in the UK (1), with 44% of these studying physical sciences and only 21% studying engineering (2). At present, women make up only about 12% of the engineering workforce and fill only 19% of IT roles, despite increased gender diversity in other fields of science, making up ~45% of the total science professional workforce (2). This imbalance, with the greatest disparity in higher paying, fast growing fields, further contributes to the gender pay gap; the majority of women in science work in medicine, healthcare and life sciences-related roles, which can offer lower salaries compared to engineering and IT roles. 

Women need science and science needs women. Only by tapping into all sources of knowledge, all sources of talent, can we unlock the full potential of science and rise to the challenges of our time

UNESCO Director-General

Investigation of authorship attribution in scientific publications found that women are credited less than men, which may relate to women holding more junior positions in research teams, and underrepresentation in attribution given their position (3). Studies have also shown that women are typically given smaller research grants than their male colleagues, and they often receive less recognition from their peers (4). Female founders of tech startups struggle to access finance, and in large tech companies, women remain underrepresented in leadership roles: women are also more likely to leave the technology field, often citing poor career prospects as a motivating factor (4). In academia and medicine, there is also a larger disparity in gender representation at more senior levels, with less women in senior medical positions in the USA (5) and less women in professor roles at Russell Group universities in the UK, accounting for only 19% of professors. The lowest proportion of these are in STEM subjects such as mathematics and engineering (6).

Recent PLOS One publications have found gender gaps in faculty promotion in Switzerland (7), identified regional variation in progress towards parity in tenure track positions in the USA (8), and demonstrated that female German students are less likely to pursue STEM careers unless they demonstrate strong ICT skills in secondary school, a relationship which was not mirrored in male students (9). Understanding the true extent of gender imbalance in STEM is hindered by a lack of clear and transparent data, so these publications go a little way towards furthering our understanding of factors which may influence this loss of women from the workforce. 

A number of studies in the UK have investigated potential barriers to encouraging women to pursue higher education and professional roles in STEM subjects, including an investigation by King’s College London (6) which found that bias in teaching some subjects, such as mathematics, led to lower levels of confidence in girls which then impacted their confidence to pursue STEM subjects later in life. Additional barriers include a lack of role models, to provide support and representation in the fields, and to coach younger women on how to face some of the challenges which persist (6). UNESCO also reports that ‘gendering’ and bias of subjects taught in schools, and attitudes towards women in male-dominated fields or by male supervisors also impact the retention and progression of women in core STEM professions (10). In 2024, the UKRI published a report on inequalities faced by early career researchers, which found that women are less likely to progress to a life sciences PhD than men, and less likely to proceed to a postdoctoral position immediately after completing their doctorate (11).

Unfortunately, barriers to education, and the continued impact on minority-women are still limiting this growth worldwide: Unicef estimates that over 122 million girls are out of school around the world, with completion rates for school not matching up to the parity seen in school enrollment rates (12).

Championing Change

Overall, events such as International Women and Girls in Science Day have helped to highlight the disparity and under-representation of women in STEM, and to bring about progress towards equality. 

Increased awareness of the inequalities which exist, and the desire to address under-representation of women in STEM, plays a big role in the movement towards equal representation. Greater advocacy for change, government and institutional-level policies to support women, and growing awareness of the impact these inequities pose are all contributing to improvements in the visibility and success of women in STEM. 

Innovation in tackling disparities, and commitment to implementing real change, all contributes positively. 

A 2021 investigation in Japan found that providing gender equality information increased the motivation of high school students to choose STEM subjects, and the motivation of their parents to support that choice, which suggests that provision of such information is an effective way to change attitudes towards STEM in the young student population (13). Meanwhile, Russell Group universities introduced a range of policies and activities designed to help women in STEM overcome these obstacles to retention in this workforce, including flexible working policies, programs to support women returning from career breaks, mentoring schemes, tailored equality and diversity training, and leadership development programs (14). 

Family friendly work policies, equality and diversity training, networking and mentoring, and creation of inclusive workplace culture all improve the retention of women in STEM roles. This is more than academic institutions and companies can do alone, with the need for government support to improve maternity provision, childcare affordability, sustained actions in schools in the early introduction of these subjects, improve monitoring and statistics to ensure the data are reflective and can inform policy change. Awareness of gender bias and discrimination across both sexes also helps to combat it, by creating advocates for change beyond those directly impacted by current practices.

Global change to tackle the under-representation of women in science, and to improve educational practices to encourage girls to pursue further education and careers in STEM is a complex project: each country faces unique barriers which each require individualized approaches. However, progress over the past ten years demonstrates that this positive change is possible, and as more women enter senior roles, they are providing positive role models for the younger generations.

This Day is a reminder that women and girls play a critical role in science and technology communities and that their participation should be strengthened.

UNESCO

Resources

STEM Women provide networking and recruitment events in the UK, with opportunities to support and encourage greater balance in female representation in science.Often these events include notable speakers, which can provide guidance for women as they progress through their careers, as well as alternative career opportunities which attendees may not be aware of, including graduate schemes, training programs, etc. (https://www.stemwomen.com/) 

References

1) Higher Education Statistics Agency (https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/graduates/releases)

2) STEM Women (https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/graduates/releases)

3) Ross, M.B., Glennon, B.M., Murciano-Goroff, R. et al. Women are credited less in science than men. Nature 608, 135–145 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04966-w 

4) United Nations (https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/lack-gender-equality-science-everyone%E2%80%99s-problem)

5) Helman A, Bear A, Colwell R, editors. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2020 Feb

6) Kings College London: Women in STEM (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/women-in-stem-bridging-the-gender-gap)

7) Czech A, Olarreaga M, Peila O (2024) Gender gap in faculty promotion. PLOS ONE 19(11): e0313311. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313311

8) Galvin DJ, Anderson SC, Marolf CJ, Schneider NG, Liebl AL (2024) Comparative analysis of gender disparity in academic positions based on U.S. region and STEM discipline. PLOS ONE 19(3): e0298736. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298736

9) Hertweck F, Lehner J (2025) The gender gap in STEM: (Female) teenagers’ ICT skills and subsequent career paths. PLOS ONE 20(1): e0308074. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308074

10) UNESCO (https://www.unesco.org/en/science-technology-and-innovation/cta)

11) UKRI: Inequality in early career research in the UK (https://www.ukri.org/publications/inequality-in-early-career-research-in-the-uk-life-sciences/inequality-in-early-career-research-in-the-uk-life-sciences/)

12) UNICEF (https://www.unicef.org/education/girls-education)

13) Ikkatai Y, Inoue A, Minamizaki A, Kano K, McKay E, et al. (2021) Effect of providing gender equality information on students’ motivations to choose STEM. PLOS ONE 16(6): e0252710. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252710

14) Written evidence from the Russell Group of Universities (https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/46541/pdf/)