Women make up only 35 percent of science graduates worldwide

Although women are more likely than young men to pursue higher education, they make up only 35 percent of science graduates, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Across the world, a significant gender gap persists at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines due to lack of research funding, gender stereotypes, and discriminatory workplace practices. The gap is particularly pronounced in technology, where women represent just 26 percent of the workforce in data and artificial intelligence, and 12 percent in cloud computing.

“Excluding women from science weakens our collective capacity to address urgent global challenges, from climate change to public health to space security,” Guterres warned.

As societies continue to grapple with widening inequalities, the UN believes that integrating artificial intelligence, social science, STEM, and finance provides a way to accelerate inclusive and sustainable development. The approach is being highlighted on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed on Wednesday.

Chemist and entrepreneur Asel Sartbaeva from Kyrgyzstan is a role model in this regard. She’s an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and co-founder and CEO of the biotech company EnsiliTech. Her work tackles one of global health’s most persistent challenges: how to make vaccines stable at high temperatures so they can be transported to the most remote communities without complex refrigeration.

Alongside her research, Sartbaeva works with UNICEF as an ambassador for the Girls in Science programme in Kyrgyzstan, encouraging girls to pursue higher education and careers in STEM. She told UN News that in many communities, decisions about a girl’s future are shaped by her family—particularly her father.

“Most of the time, the biggest worry I’ve heard, especially from fathers, was that they thought that if their girls would go into science, they will not have a family,” she said. “For me, really, the first thing was to show that actually that is not true. They can have both and it’s not mutually exclusive.”

The UNICEF programme combines science masterclasses with mentoring, communication training, and confidence-building. Thousands of girls have taken part, and many have gone on to pursue university degrees in STEM. Sartbaeva believes opportunities for women in science are improving—women professors were rare when she was at university, but today she sees far more balance and stronger policies supporting inclusion. Still, more talent is needed and she had a clear message for girls considering STEM: “We need you.”