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Energía para el Futuro

The energy sector needs more talent and diversity!

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How can we encourage girls and women to be interested, study and work in science, technology and engineering?

Throughout history, the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have been shaped by gender biases that exclude women and girls. The unequal access to education, technology and leadership positions have alienated countless brilliant female minds from STEM careers and have stalled their progress.

The gender gap in science, technology and innovation translates to lost talent, untapped discoveries and biased solutions. Expanding access to education involves not only investments in infrastructure, but also connectivity improvements and ensuring schools have access to electricity, water, materials, and transportation. It also requires overcoming stereotypes, which begins at home with family education about the opportunities girls can have through education. Only when girls can see the possibilities of their future and have access to education can we achieve gender parity in science and technology.

Why is it important that more women participate in the STEM areas?

More female students and researchers (girls and women) in STEM lead to benefits for the development of societies:

1. Diversified research and work teams are more innovative and creative. Greater participation of women brings new perspectives.

2. The STEM labor market continues to grow and experiences shortages. Women make up roughly half of the human population. By systemically excluding women it is as though we are attempting to address shortages with one arm tied behind our back.

3. Scientific research that incorporates gender diversity tends to be more accurate. Considering the differences between women and men in the design of products and technology makes them more effective, efficient, and safe.

Supporting STEM female students and researchers (girls and women) is not only an essential part to innovate, educate and build; it is also important to the women themselves. Women in STEM jobs earn 33% more than those in non-STEM occupations and experience a smaller pay gap compared to men. Therefore, this also improves the lives of families. Increasing opportunities for women in these fields is an important step in achieving greater economic success and equality for women in all areas.

According to UNESCO, women represent only 35% of all students enrolled in STEM-related careers. However, there are differences in the disciplines that comprise STEM areas. For example, the participation of women in higher education in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) is 3%. In Latin America and the Caribbean, only 20% of workers in the energy sector are women.

Among the main reasons why girls stop showing interest in STEM are stereotypes, gender roles, expectations and lack of support from their families, teachers and peers, as well as the lack of role models and the little understanding of the application of STEM careers in the real world.[1]

Actions to encourage girls and women to become interested, study and work in science, technology and engineering:

1. Help girls develop their confidence in STEM subjects. Skills in science and mathematics can be developed, are not gender-related, and are not hereditary. Motivating girls to put in effort and dedication is an important part of the learning process. Giving girls the opportunity and support so that they can grow and be what they decide they want to be, not what society expects them to be, is essential to change the stereotypes that often prevent girls from becoming interested in these areas.

2. Recognize, celebrate, and promote positive images of professional STEM women in families, schools and the media, so that girls can identify themselves with them.

3. Expose girls to hands-on experiences in STEM disciplines and show connection to real life, for example:

  • carry out innovative experiments and practices, both at home and in schools, to develop linguistic, spatial and numerical skills;
  • visit industries, projects and laboratories, ensuring that there is participation of women in technical and professional areas of the industry;
  • offer girls programs to accompany professionals in the area for a day;
  • show girls how STEM can change the world and the impact of these careers on the lives of people, the environment, and animals.

4. Be active mentors or link girls to mentoring. As teachers, parents, and relatives, we have a fundamental role in promoting girls to be interested in the topic, encouraging them to participate and developing in them positive attitudes towards STEM.

5. Promote and improve the participation, continuation, and completion of women in STEM careers and studies through:

  • scholarships and research grants for women;
  • support countries to offer education programs on gender-sensitive STEM subjects, in which teachers and students are trained on these topics, and curricular content is adapted to eliminate gender biases and encourage the participation of women;
  • recruit teachers of both sexes;
  • develop more attractive and practical STEM study programs;
  • create inclusive learning and working spaces, where female opinions are valued and respected.

In the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) we are convinced that fostering an open and diverse scientific community, which is based on a variety of unique experiences and points of view, is a necessary step to achieve sustainable development in our region. Especially, an energy sector with more women will be a more innovative, productive, and inclusive one.

Additional resources

[1] Microsoft did a special work for this: https://news.microsoft.com/features/why-do-girls-lose-interest-in-stem-new-research-has-some-answers-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/


Virginia Snyder

Virginia Snyder es Especialista Senior en Energía del BID, y como tal su objetivo principal es reducir la pobreza y la desigualdad en América Latina y el Caribe a través del apoyo financiero y técnico en el sector de energía. Sus responsabilidades incluyen fomentar el diálogo centrado en las reformas del gobierno y del sector energético, la modernización del sector y el desarrollo de capacidades. Virginia es punto focal para la implementación de innovación, digitalización y ciberseguridad de en préstamos de inversión, operaciones técnicas y proyectos piloto del BID, para incluir el uso de ciencia de datos, inteligencia artificial e imágenes satelitales. También lidera las estrategias y el apoyo técnico de la División de Energía para incorporar acciones de género y diversidad en las operaciones y programas del BID. Antes de su trabajo en el BID se desempeñó en el Centro para la Energía Sostenible de California, donde fue Associate Manager de Programa de la Iniciativa Solar del Estado de California (la más grande de los Estados Unidos) y también trabajó en el Departamento de Energía de los Estados Unidos. En esa agencia, trabajó en el Programa de Tecnologías Solares en el programa “Solar America Cities”, bajo el cual 25 ciudades estadounidenses trabajaron para acelerar la adopción de tecnologías de energía solar para un futuro energético más limpio y seguro. Virginia obtuvo su MBA en la Universidad de San Diego, California.

Amanda Beaujon Marin

Amanda Beaujon Marin é consultora em gênero e infraestrutura no Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento (BID). Antes de ingressar na equipe do BID, Amanda trabalhou em organizações internacionais, ONGs e centros de pesquisa, incluindo o Banco Mundial (Washington, DC), o Instituto Democrático Nacional (Washington, DC), o Centro de Ação e Estratégias Não-Violentas Aplicadas (Belgrado, Sérvia) e o Centro Internacional de Energia e Meio Ambiente (CIEA) (Caracas, Venezuela). Amanda é Mestre em política pública pela Harvard University (Kennedy School) e bacharel em Estudos Políticos pela Universidade Central da Venezuela.

Sisi Larrea

Sisi Larrea é equatoriana e especialista em Gênero e Diversidade. Graduada em Antropologia e mestre em Gênero e Desenvolvimento, atualmente, é consultora de gênero para o Setor de Infraestrutura do BID, apoiando o Banco sob uma perspectiva de gênero em projetos de água, saneamento, transporte e energia. Anteriormente, trabalhou na OLADE como Assessora de Gênero e coordenadora do projeto “Integração da perspectiva de gênero no setor de energia na América Latina e no Caribe”, com fundos de cooperação canadense. Antes disso, passou 5 anos na ONU MULHERES como Coordenadora da Área de Direitos Econômicos, Sociais, Culturais e Ambientais da Região Andina. Tem mais de 20 anos de trabalho em gênero relacionados a questões de desenvolvimento rural, meio ambiente, mudanças climáticas, agricultura sustentável, desenvolvimento de políticas públicas, desenho de ferramentas de treinamento, populações indígenas e afrodescendentes como consultora de cooperação internacional, do Sistema de Nações Unidas e de governos.

Luis Carlos Perez

Luis Carlos Perez is a Communications consultant for the Energy Division at the Inter-American Development Bank. In this position, Luis Carlos is responsible for managing the communication strategy and serves as the editor of the blog Energía para el Futuro. He worked for seven years for the IDB´s Nicaragua country office as responsible for the communication strategy and supporting the relationship with civil society. Luis Carlos has also worked with the IDB´s Vice-presidency for countries supporting the communication strategy. He has a master's degree in Information Science from the State University of Londrina, Brazil, and undergraduate studies in Philology and Communication.

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