“Women scientists around the world: strategies for gender equality”, a joint project of SCGES with the International Science Council (ISC), is a series of articles, based on interviews with women scientists from various disciplines and geographic regions, several of whom have attained leadership roles in scientific organizations. It explores the drivers and barriers to gender representation in scientific organizations, aiming to document from a qualitative point of view the obstacles to gender equality in science, and the strategies developed to reach it.
The series is introduced by the article Who shapes the future of science? Examining the stark gender imbalance in scientific leadership.
The first article gives voice to Encieh Erfani, an Iranian physicist specialized in cosmology and ISC Fellow, who resigned from her academic position in Iran in 2022 as a protest in honor of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in custody after being detained for allegedly violating Iran’s compulsory hijab law: In the face of gender apartheid: Dr. Erfani’s path.
The second piece is devoted to Marie Françoise Ouedraogo, the first woman in Burkina Faso to earn a PhD in mathematics. She founded the Association of Women in Mathematics in Africa (AWMA) in 2013: From pioneer to leader: Paving the way for African women in mathematics.
The third article is based on an interview with Bolivian biologist Mónica Moraes. She was the first woman President of the Bolivian Academy of Sciences, from 2021 to 2024, breaking the culture of silence and redefining institutional practices: Transforming science organizations: The impact of women’s leadership on institutional reform.
The fourth article is devoted to the French historian of science, and inaugural Chair, of the Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES) Catherine Jami. From her research activity in the history of science and technology in China to her involvement in serving international scientific communities, she advocates for inclusivity, diversity, and a more equitable future for women and for all minorities: Bringing Change to Science: Catherine Jami on the History of Science and Gender Equality.