International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated on 11 February, every year, with the aim to promote women and girls in science. This Day is an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. Now is the time to recognise women’s contributions in research and innovation, smash stereotypes and defeat discrimination against women and girls in science. Both, science and gender equality are vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Tackling some of the greatest challenges of the Agenda for Sustainable Development - from improving health to combating climate change - will rely on harnessing all talent. That means getting more women working in these fields. Diversity in research expands the pool of talented researchers, bringing in fresh perspectives, talent and creativity. 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.

This year’s theme is “Women in Science Leadership: A New Era for Sustainability”. Women are typically given smaller research grants than their male colleagues and, while they represent 33.3% of all researchers, only 12% of members of national science academies are women. Even though women have made tremendous progress towards increasing their participation in higher education, they are still under-represented in these fields.

We, at the World Assembly of Youth (WAY), encourage all stakeholders to adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all young women, at all levels. WAY also encourages all member organisations to undertake necessary reforming actions in order to give young women the equal rights to economic resources, financial services, inheritance and natural resources. We believe meaningful progress must start with the rights and dignity of women, by nurturing their ingenuity as well as creativity, and enhancing the use of enabling technologies, in particular Information and Communication Technology, to empower young women.

Join us in celebrating women and girls, who are leading innovation and call for actions to remove all barriers that hold them back, let us acknowledge and applaud #WomenInScience!