Since 3 years ago, the 11th February commemorates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Even though the participation of women in scientific and technical careers has increased in recent years, their presence in these fields is still very low, and decreases as we rise through the research career scale.
The data presented in the GENDER in Physics Day 2017, celebrated in Tenerife, showed that in degree courses in Physical Science and Engineering the proportion of women registered is not above 30%, and that women hold barely 13% of professorships. This information agrees with that given in the Annual Report of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias 2017, which shows an intermediate point on this descending curve, in which the percentage of women researchers, including doctors and students, who are researching in this research centre is 26% of the total.
The General Assembly of the United Nations decided to initiate this International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the aim of “achieving access and full and equitable participation in Science for women and girls”. Along similar lines, to promote scientific vocations among the youngest women, and to draw attention to the work done by women astrophysicists and engineers working at the IAC we are publishing a new chapter of the audiovisual series “Girls who broke a glass roof looking at the sky”, in which there is participation by the researchers Susana Iglesias Groth and Ana Monreal Ibero, and the engineers Marta Puga Antolín, and Patricia Fernández Izquierdo.
This series, inspired by the “No Nancies” project by the astrophysicist Pilar Montañés, is part of the project “The Return of Henrietta Leavitt: from school to a scientific career passing through the theatre”, an initiative of the IAC which originated in a collaboration with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.
This activity is part of the "IAU100 Women and Girls in Astronomy" project, one of the highlights of the International Astronomical Union's 100th anniversary celebrations.
Technical details:
Management: Carmen del Puerto Varela
Direction: Inés Bonet
Coordination: Alejandra Rueda Moral
Camera: Inés Bonet Márquez.
Archive: Prelinger Archives, Iván Jiménez (IAC), HST, NASA/ESA, European Southern Observatory (ESO).
Music: Black Mirror / Maciej Bether.
Other press releases:
“Girls who broke a glass ceiling while stargazing”
The women astrophysicists and engineers at the IAC, in the foreground
Models for encouraging girls to get interested in science
Encourage scientific and technological vocations among younger women
Chapter 1:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/p1HGHDuUKV4
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/245007188
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6as58h
Chapter 2:
Youtube: https://youtu.be/U1BTp__fiLE
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/255724328
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6eqyq4
Chapter 3:
Youtube: https://youtu.be/CJ0Zw99zTAQ
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/276891666
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6mr0d3
