News:The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is being observed by the United Nations on February 11,2020.
Facts:
About the Day:
- The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was started in 2015.It is mainly implemented by UNESCO along with UN Women and several other organisations.
- Aim:To recognize and promote the critical role women and girls play in science and technology.
- Theme:Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth.
Women and Girls in Science:
- Research:The UNESCO paper on women in science paper has found that just 28.8% of researchers are women.In India,this drops to 13.9%.
- Nobel Prize:Between 1901 and 2019,out of 334 Nobel Prizes only 20 have been won by 19 women.The double Laureate is Marie Curie.
- Abel Prize:In 2019, the American mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck became the first woman to win the Abel Prize following 16 male mathematicians.
- STEM:UNESCO data from 2014-16 show that only around 30% of female students select STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)-related fields in higher education.
- India:A 2016-17 NITI Aayog report found that only 9.3% of female students in undergraduate courses were enrolled in engineering, compared to 15.6% across genders over the period of five years.
