In time for the GYA Annual General Meeting 2024, the Women in Science working group has produced a booklet on “Challenges faced by Women Researchers: Stories from all around the Globe“.
We are currently living in a world where scientific innovation and discovery hold immense significance. Although being underrepresented, women researchers play a pivotal role within the scientific community. It is important to address and recognize the challenges preventing the full participation of women in the STEM fields.
The Women in Science working group of the GYA compiled stories on the overlooked experiences of women researchers worldwide as a necessary step to nurture a scientific community that is inclusive and cognizant of these challenges. The personal stories illustrate means and ways in which women researchers overcome a range of challenges such as discrimination, workplace pressures, societal biases while achieving the equilibrium between professional and personal life. Their journeys serve as evidence of their creativity, resilience and steadfast commitment to excellence. This book aims to raise awareness of these hurdles and to promote changes in the scientific community and society at large. It is a call for action to create an inclusive and equitable scientific environment where every voice is heard, all talents are supported, and all dreams are fulfilled.
The booklet also includes two illustrations that were found through an illustration competition on the topic of “challenges for women scientists”. Adila Farisa from India contributed an illustration depicting how “a girl’s choice to follow her passion is always influenced by her family, society, religion and so many unseen elements, which create a web of struggles” and with this invites readers to move towards a brighter world together, while Novac Bogdan Stefan from Romania in her illustration talks about being an archaeologist and the challenges that come with this work.
