we all know today is Sunday February 11th, but what you might not know if your like my family is it’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science #dayofwomenandgirlsinscience. This week Charlie and I will be studying Marie Curry and other women in Science which we will need to research ladies unless you have someone you think we should study.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11th this holidays allows us to honor women’s significant achievements in science and place a much-needed focus on girls entering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics creating a career in STEM. As the fastest-growing segment of jobs with employers finding it hard to find available talent, STEM needs women. Today is the perfect day for learning about women charting their course in Science by supporting young women to pursue their passions in STEM with finding them scholarships based on STEM studies only for women.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE
There is a significant gender gap in science which has persisted at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines throughout history. Though progress has been made in the previous decades, women are still underrepresented in science disciplines help us change this.
The United Nations considers gender a core issue behind the significant underrepresentation, mainly because gender equality and women’s empowerment can make a crucial contribution to the world’s economic development. This also contributes to progress across all the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In 2013, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on science, technology, and innovation for development which recognized that equal access to and participation in science, technology, and innovation for women and girls of all ages was essential for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
Founded by the UN General Assembly in 2015, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated in the United States to encourage gender equality and ensure equal access and participation for women and girls in science. Science and gender equality are important factors that allow us to achieve internationally agreed development goals. The global community has significantly inspired and engaged women and girls in science over the past few decades. There is still a lack of participation from women and girls in science, but the road is getting ever so well-trodden.
Let’s CELEBRATE
- Research and learn about women’s contributions to science by searching online resources, books, and movies that tell their stories. Share what you learn and honor these women through social media using #dayofwomenandgirlsinscience
- Do you have a daughter or know a young girl interested in science? Encourage her to stick with her passion in Science because often, girls veer from their passions and are not supported to take the road less traveled. If you are not familiar with the latest STEM career options, find a friend who could explain them to her and provide mentorship in her journey.
WOMEN IN SCIENCE YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Katherine Johnson who is from Hidden Figures fame, was a mathematician calculating orbital mechanics for NASA. Katherine Johnson was critical to the first crewed spaceflight.
- Lillian Gilbreth is considered to be the first industrial/organizational psychologist and “America’s first lady of engineering”, Gilbreth was also one of the first American female engineers to earn a Ph.D. and the first female engineering professor at Purdue University.
- Ruth Benerito was an American chemist and inventor who held 55 patents; her most notable invention was wash and wear cotton fabrics.
More information on women in Science:
- Science promotes gender equality in girls who need to become comfortable being in STEM programs, but boys also need to be comfortable having girls in this profession. Y4X is a global initiative to promote gender equality in science by helping young boys and men respect and recognize their female counterparts as well as to seek women in science as their mentors and role models..
- Innternational Day of Women and Girls in Science allows more women to be innovative and achieve developments in science and technology. The greater the number of women who enter the field, the more technological advancements will be made.
Lesson Plans:
International day of women and girls in science – 11th February
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
