Analysis of the strategies applied at Universidad del Norte to engage women into STEM

Abstract

n the last decade, the development of the STEM careers has carried the problematic of the gender gap. With the purpose of creating better strategies and mechanisms for the attraction, access, and orientation of women into the STEM field in Latin America, the W-STEM Project implemented attraction campaigns and dissemination activities where each partner designed strategies. However, those strategies must be analysed to measure their effectiveness and adapted to the new conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this poster, Uninorte presents the strategies implemented in the institution, analysing the three main axes of the action plan, as well as the advantages and disadvantages, aiming to create a better approach.

In today’s world, there still is a gender gap in STEM occupations, fuelled by gender stereotypes and extra challenges faced when women enter a male-dominated workspace. According to the World Economic Forum, female students and employees are under-represented in STEM related fields, with less than a third of female students choosing to study higher educations’ courses in subjects like math and engineering. In fact, only around 30% of the world’s researches are women and those working in the STEM field publish less and often receive less pay. This is a worldwide problematic but can be affected by other aspects like the development of the country in matter. In Latin America and the Caribbean, only 5 of the 33 countries analysed have human development index considered as ‘high’, according to UNESCO. Which leads us to pay special attention to the mater in those countries.