Women's Day: Female participation reaches 49% in Brazilian science

Friday (8) is celebrated as International Women's Day. From the beginning they have contributed to the most innovative scientific discoveries, even if this involvement has been masked by numerous factors. They still constitute a minority in laboratories, but in the Brazilian case, they have occupied an increasing space. Women's participation in the production of scientific knowledge, as article writers, has increased by 29% in the past twenty years.

In 2002, the percentage of women among authors of scientific publications in Brazil reached 38%. In 2022, the percentage jumped to 49%, according to the report Towards gender equality in research in Brazilfrom Elsevier Bury.

Women in exact sciences

In fact, women's participation in disciplines historically “dominated” by men, such as STEM-related fields, has increased. 20 years ago, they contributed 35% of these publications. Currently, they are responsible for 45%.

However, the report indicates a decline in the speed of women's integration into scientific knowledge production. The other problem is that female participation only approaches equality in the younger age group.

This is because the contribution of women by “academic age” drops from 51% among young scientists (with up to 5 years of training) to 36% among more experienced scientists (over 21 years).

Women, the world and science

Today, Brazil ranks third among the countries with the highest female participation in science, out of 19 countries analysed, including the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. In terms of cooperation, Brazilian women (49%) rank second after Argentine and Portuguese women, with 52%.

“These are encouraging results when we see that female participation is growing in recent generations,” Dante Cid, vice president of academic relations for Latin America at Elsevier, said in a statement. However, he adds: “We still have challenges to overcome in terms of participation in Xatas and participation among the more experienced generations.”

source: Puri Agency