“Science needs women,” says UN on Int’l Day of Women & Girls in Science 2022

To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, On Friday, February 11, 2022, the United Nations recognized the achievements of the women during the tough time of COVID-19. The United Nations took the social media platform and mentioned that the “world needs science, and science needs women!”

It further emphasized the achievements of women in the field of science and said that the women scientists remained under-represented during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Women scientists remain under-represented & struggle to get recognition for their achievements, including their invaluable contributions in the fight against the COVID19 pandemic,” said the United Nations.

Every year, International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated on February 11, worldwide. The day is celebrated to inspire and engage women and girls in science. Over the past decades, girls’ participation has increased, and they have made a lot of efforts, yet they continue to exclude in fully participating in this field.

The UN believes that science and gender equality both are vital for the achievement of the SDGs, including the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared the date as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in the year 2015 to achieve full participation of the women and girls in science and to achieve gender equality and empowerment. On Friday, the world celebrated the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

In 2022, the day would be celebrated under the theme “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us”. The theme has been selected to accelerate the progress towards the achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

This day holds significance because, despite a shortage of skills in the technological fields, women still account for only 28 percent of engineering graduates and 40 percent of graduates in computer science and informatics.