WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Eugenia Maria del Pino Veintimilla

In 2016, the UN declared February 11th the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The main reason for this declaration was to encourage more girls and women to take up jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Figures show that although there is no significant difference in ability between
boys  and girls in math and science, less than 35 percent of graduates in these fields worldwide are women and there are even fewer in engineering and information technology.

Why is it important to involve more women and girls in science?
When one group of people dominates a field of study, whether it’s an age group, a cultural group, or a gender, there is danger of creating a narrow view of the subject. Including more women in male-dominated areas will bring in fresh points of view, new talent, and creativity. It can also help increase women’s social and financial position in some countries.

Around the world there are not many women scientists; Ecuador is not an exception. However, there is an internationally-recognized Ecuadorian female scientist:

Eugenia Maria del Pino Veintimilla (born 1945 in Quito, Ecuador) is a development biologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. She was the first Ecuadorian to be elected to the UnitedStates National Academy of Sciences (2006).