Countries must address lack of women in science and technology

(Jan. 09, 2013) The United Nations has said that countries must address the lack of women in scientific, and technological fields. Women run the risk of being left behind in these sectors, if countries do not put measures in place to address discrimination, and change traditional attitudes, the UN said on Monday. It warned that this gap constitutes an obstacle to the nations’ progress.
“Women tend to be overrepresented in the humanities and social sciences, and under-represented in science and technology,” said an official from the world body’s International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Bureau for Workers’ Activities: Claude Akpokavie said “Measures need to be put in place to redress this imbalance.” According to ILO, the gap between men and women in the scientific and technological fields is linked to pervasive gender roles and attitudes in different societies – visible in both developed and developing countries – which encourage girls to pursue ‘softer’ subjects.
Over the past few months, recent stories have emerged revealing stark gender discrepancies in a number of countries around the world, which are hindering women’s participation in science and technology both at school and at work, the agency noted. With an estimated 500 million people entering the global workforce over the next decade, the ILO stressed it is crucial that women in science and technology jobs are not left working at the lowest levels.