La Ciencia es para todas

Never too young to be a science superhero!

I was born in Mexico and spent the early years of my childhood there. In my family we are 4 siblings, I have two younger brothers and a sister. My mother became pregnant with me when she was at university and “had” to drop out with only a few months before getting her degree. Both my grandmothers didn’t finish primary education. It was actually thanks to my parents desire for a better life that I was constantly encouraged to read, study and go for what I want. And this is why I consider myself “lucky”, as I was in someway protected to the cultural prejudices and discrimination that mexican girls and women suffer.

Mexico is ranked 50/149 countries according to the 2018 Global Gender Gap Report. And whilst in the last decade it has jumped ahead, improving by 25 places the gap still exists.

Terminal efficiency of men and women according to education level (primary to high school). – data from the Mexican secretary of public education (SEP).

In the recent years, the percentage of girls enrolled in school is slightly higher than boys at the early stages, and this trend continues as we go into undergraduate courses at university. Nevertheless, the “leaky pipeline” phenomenon appears upon graduation. Many young women (like my mum) drop out and stop pursuing to develop their careers, especially in the STEM fields.

Data and graphics from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics -2015

It gets even worse when we look at women who have pursued careers in research. Statistics from the mexican registry of researchers (Sistema Nacional de Investigadores) show that only 36% of their members are women. A shockingly increasing gap is observed also within their ranks. Only 22% of women hold the highest rank of researchers (SNI 3). This is a stark difference from percentages observed in the early stages of education.

(left) Mexican men and women over 18 years of age according to their interest in science and technology areas and (right) members of the National System/registry of Mexican researchers according to gender. -Data and graphics from the Mexican Council of Science & Technology (CONACYT) 2018.

So, what is the problem? How can we stop the decline in women’s career progression? Unfortunately in Mexico, a lot of factors come into play : the “macho” culture, religion, and a deep-rooted sexist culture are just some that come to mind.

As a female scientist, I want to help fight against these barriers that are still limiting the potential of young girls and women in Mexico.

Once a year (or whenever I get the chance to go home), I take a day or two to give a talk/talks to students at the Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla and other local high schools about my experience as a scientist working and living abroad. I talk about the benefits of going “beyond” undergraduate studies, pursuing a career in Science and most importantly, answering questions and dispelling myths about female scientists and researchers.

It goes without saying that this is hardly enough, more is needed and I am currently working on developing a network within Mexico to provide more mentors and role models that can help young girls and women navigate their way around the sexist barriers that exist.

The visits and talks will continue and I will be preparing some material to share soon.

In the meantime, here is an excellent report from the Royal Society of Chemistry on Breaking the Barriers in the Chemical Sciences.

If you would like me to come and talk to your class, if you have any suggestions, ideas, or want to know how you can help, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Keep watching this space!