Maria Elina Estébanez
Buenos Aires, Argentina
We would like to share with all of you the interesting contribution of some of you who wrote to us during an interesting Forum online, launched by UNESCO in January, concerning Women\'s participation in Science and Technology
I want to point out several issues related to women presence at university studies, and woman presence among science and technology human resources in Latin-American region. This problem was defined in some of the following ways through different interventions in the forum: levels of participation; access to education and; curriculum and gender; professional careers and gender.
- Statistical data form different sources show that in Latin-America, woman have been growing up along the last decades in university studies population, from 35 or 40 % in some countries to 50% even more in some others. This participation decrease in five or ten points considering postgraduate studies, like Master and doctoral programmes. In any case, it is observed a positive tendency. Similar tendency is observed in woman participation among S&T personnel, with an actual rate of 38% in the woman participation. Even though this data suggest an important feminine presence in the highest levels of education structures, is necessary a deeper insight to get the real gender situation.
- In terms of horizontal stratification, woman participation in university studies is concentrated in certain careers (social sciences, health disciplines). On the contrary their presence in maths, physical sciences and engineering studies descend significantly. Cultural and educational factors (like a very extended social representation of machines and other artefacts as masculine, and a strong idea about \"preservation of life\" as a feminine commitment) affecting primary socialization are related to girls election of university studies, and even affect previous educational paths (for example the low presence of girls at technical secondary schools).
- In terms of vertical stratification, we could see worse gender disparities than indicates in this case a problem of access to power. Taking in consideration the participation in S&T employment structures, woman participation decreases as level of decision goes up in working pyramid, even though in those countries where the general feminine participation in scientific positions and close to 50%. For example, in Argentina there is 62 % of women in lower academic categories at university research personnel but less than 30 % at the highest category. Science promotion corps and agencies, and university direction staff have even less presence of woman inside their evaluation organs and political structures.
- In some countries with important ethnical diversity, the situation of university and scientific woman reflected in statistics refers manly to urban white woman, while the access to this kind of education and jobs for other communities is more affected by economical and cultural barriers. Is the case of African-descendents population in Brazil and the case of the Guatemala diverse aborigines population.
- Other situations where is observed relevant presence of woman in university or scientific institutions are related to male emigration (to other countries or to other kind of local organizations). In present time, is mainly due to economical factors that push men out of public institutions (main setting for scientific activities) and out of the country looking for better salaries. In the past, political emigration played an important role in this kind of emigration, for example, Central American countries.
For more information about gender situation in university, scientific and technological activities in Latin America see:
1) www.ricyt.org Go to: (\"actividades\" - \"difusion\"- \"El Estado de la Ciencia 2003 and \"El Estado de la Ciencia 2002\") (\"actividades\" - \"normalizacion\" - \"VI Taller de indicadores de ciencia y tecnologÌa\") (\"indicadores\")
2) www.centroredes.org.ar Go to: \"Documentos\".
