To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there is need for countries of the world to make concrete efforts in expanding the scope of science-related projects, and also provide for gender equality across board. At least, that is what the United Nations has prescribed, as the world works towards attaining a significant level of development.
Unfortunately, there are very few women occupying relevant positions in the fields of science, technology, education and policy across various parts of the world. Women are seldom allowed to have a seat at the table, and even when they force their way into certain spaces, gender discrimination tends to make a mockery of their strides. According to data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics released in 2018, women made up less than 30% of the world’s researchers. For more context, less than 27% of women have been able to take up roles in Computer Science, women only make up 23% of professionals involved in STEM, and of this abysmally low figure, women only occupy 20% of available leadership roles. This is in spite of the fact that at least 50% of the global population, and more than half of Africa’s population, is female.
Over the years, however, a number of African women have distinguished themselves and succeeded in not only making inroads into male-dominated spaces, but also opened the doors for more women to get into STEM. Individuals like Trudy Morgan, Wangari Muta Maathai, Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Francisca Nneka Okeke, Ozak Esu, Margaret Mungherera, Alta Schutte, Sherein Elagroudy, Julie Makani, Jamila Abass, Stacy Owino, Cynthia Otieno, Purity Achieng, Mascrine Atieno, Ivy Akinyi, Tolu Oni, Funke Opeke, Regina Honu, Blessing Kwomo and Ethel Coffie, among others, have excelled in their various fields of endeavour, and have shown that women and girls can stand out in Mathematics, Physics, Science, Engineering and Research.
While these women should be celebrated – and deservedly so – the fact remains that a lot more room has to be made for women to take up careers in STEM: the numbers could be a lot better! It is suggested that those already working in related fields need to find ways of showing learners, especially young women, the real power of STEM to build a better future. There is need for more educational initiatives to be put in place, so that women and girls not only get interested in STEM, but also realise how they can contribute significantly to the future of technology. For now, though, the strides made by these women who have braved the odds and set the pace for increased women participation in STEM-related conversations would be appreciated.