Think of the field of science and a lot of people associate mostly boys who would opt and excel in there. In order to get rid of this bias and promote equal access to women in the field of science, an International Day of Women and Girls in Science is marked by the United Nations every year. It is celebrated on February 11 and it ensures equal access and participation to women and girls in the field of Science. Gender equality is also a very important step for any country to progress and there is no reason why the field of science should not see active participation from females, due to rigid biases. The same idea is propagated through the celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Let us tell you something more about its history, significance and theme for 2019. Mangala Mani is ISRO's First Woman Scientist to Spend Over a Year in Antartica.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science Date:

February 11 is decided as the day to mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in their 70th session in December 2015 to celebrate this day.

History and Significance of International Day of Women and Girls in Science:

According to the UN resolution, "International Day of Women and Girls In science; to promote participation of women in fields related to science and technology." All the UN member states approved of this resolution and more than 68 countries were willing to celebrate. It was a larger idea of achieving gender equality. UN Secretary-General, António Guterres had said, "On this International Day, I urge commitment to end bias, greater investments in science, technology, engineering and math education for all women and girls as well as opportunities for their careers and longer-term professional advancement so that all can benefit from their ground-breaking future contributions."

Globally the number of women in the field of research is very less. According to UNESCO data, only 30 per cent of all female students enrol for STEM-related fields in higher education. The number of females is even lower in natural science, mathematics, statistics, engineering and construction. It has also been revealed that women who work in the field of science are relatively paid less compared to men and it thus hampers their progress. 6 Science-Backed Benefits of Being a Girl.

This day is celebrated to persuade more women to actively join science and technology. It aims at reducing all the barriers that may hamper them from joining the field. Achieving gender equality is also important to achieve sustainable development thus girls should be encouraged to enter the field of science and research.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019 Theme: 

Each year the day has a specific theme. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019 Theme is 'Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth.' It aims to develop a program to have best showcase of solutions to get more investment in women and girls for green growth. The agenda remains to include girls in mainstream science and technology.

The entire essence of the celebrations is to encourage more and more girls, women to be part of science and research. The celebrations range from debate and discussions, raising awareness, forming panels to work on the same and also raise funds.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 10, 2019 08:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).