Female researchers claim the role of women in science

On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, IDIAPJGol held an intergenerational session in which female researchers from various research institutes shared their vision of science and their personal experiences, together with girls, who expressed their interest in research

On the afternoon of February 11, on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, IDIAPJGol organized an event to talk about the female vision of research and the difficulties that women encounter when researching. Female researchers from various health research institutes participated in the meeting, which took place in the Library of the Catalan Institute of Health. Among those who attended were daughters of professionals, who explained their perception of science.

The session began with a speech by Josep Basora, director of IDIAPJGol, who stressed that, although science should be gender neutral, historically this has not been the case. Dr. Basora stressed the importance of holding conferences like this to highlight science and its impact on society, at a time when science is being questioned.

Next, the deputy director of IDIAPJGol, Anna Berenguera, recalled how, for centuries, women’s access to science has been restricted, which has forced many researchers to publish under pseudonyms. Dr. Berenguera introduced the researchers who participated in the session: Gemma Moncunill, from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal); Andrea Buron, from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM); Anna Ponjoan, from IDIAPJGol; Maria del Mar Goya, from the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), and Andrea García, from IDIAPJGol. 

Curiosity and commitment

The researchers shared their motivations for dedicating themselves to science. They all agreed that innate curiosity and the desire to transform reality are the main driving forces behind their scientific vocation. Gemma Moncunill added that perseverance and the desire to ask questions are important qualities of people who want to dedicate to research. The ISGlobal researcher explained that she chose immunology research with the aim of improving vaccines.

Andrea Buron stressed the influence of a family environment that stimulates curiosity. Anna Ponjoan stated that “since I was a child I have questioned why things are the way they are” and cited perseverance and the desire to learn as qualities for research, which drive her studies to learn about the health of lesbians and to improve care for this group at the primary care level, while María del Mar Goya highlighted the need to study aspects of women’s health that are poorly explored. Andrea García then stated that “I ended up dedicating myself to science because of this curiosity that I have had since I was a child” and stressed the importance of having a critical eye when doing research. The IDIAPJGol researcher, who studies menstruation and its relationship with mental and emotional health, stressed the importance of considering the social perspective in research and, in this sense, acknowledged that research is never neutral.

Difficulties

During the debate, the difficulties faced by women in the scientific field were addressed. Andrea García pointed out that qualitative research is often considered second-class, probably because it is more common among women than among men. Dr. García believes that qualitative methodology is essential to understand issues such as menstruation, which are not usually studied by men.

On the other hand, Maria del Mar Goya added that, although some men research issues are related to women’s health, they often do so without an adequate gender perspective. Andrea Buron stressed that women bring a different perspective to research, more collaborative and less competitive. Anna Ponjoan highlighted the influence of policies on research priorities, while Gemma Moncunill stressed the difficulties of reconciling work and family life, since most of the domestic tasks and childcare continue to fall on women. 

More interest among girls in science

The girls who attended the event shared their vision of research. In this sense, they have expressed their curiosity and desire to learn. The older girls have highlighted that, at school, they perceive greater interest among girls than among boys in pursuing scientific careers and they do not perceive difficulties in devoting themselves to research because of being women.

A day to vindicate the contributions of women in science

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science has been celebrated every February 11 since 2015, when it was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly. This day aims to promote access and full and equal participation of women and girls in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), recognize the key role that women play in the scientific and technological community and make visible their contributions, which are often hidden.

Despite the progress, women are still underrepresented in science and represent only 33.3 % of people who research worldwide.