Excellencies, fellow panelists, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Knowledge has no gender. In most countries, women out-number men in tertiary education. In China, more than half of all patent applicants are women.  

Indeed, more and more women are making incredible scientific advances, such as Tu Youyou – who became the first Chinese Nobel laureate in Medicine in 2015 for her discovery of a therapy against malaria.  

Yet, despite this, there remain far fewer women in science than men, especially in leadership roles. According to UNESCO, women only account for a third of scientific researchers globally. And they have a harder time staying, leaving at a far higher rate than men. Just 3 percent of Nobel laureates are women – and only 7 percent of academics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) are female.  

Science and technology will create the highest-paying jobs of tomorrow. But women are being left behind, today. Globally, it’s estimated 80 percent of new jobs created in shifting from fossil fuels will be in sectors now dominated by men. Unless women are equally represented in such areas, their needs are at risk of being overlooked in how our future is designed. This is particularly true given the rise of automation and AI systems, which can replicate the biases of those who program them. Currently, women make up just 26 percent of data professionals worldwide. 

Conversely, we know that boosting women in science accelerates sustainable development in low and middle-income countries. Doing so could help close the gender pay gap and lift women’s earnings by $299 billion over the next decade – wealth that is also more likely to be shared, with their families and communities.   

So why are women so under-represented in science, despite the important role they play, and how can we overcome this? 

There are three key challenges to address: 

Firstly, gender stereotypes and expectations channel girls away from science in their academic and career choices. Microsoft found that girls in Europe become interested in STEM subjects around the age of 11, but lose interest when they're 15, suggesting social influences steer them away. It also appears there is often a confidence gap between men and women applying for STEM positions: Hewlett Packard found women will only apply for a job when they meet 100 percent of the criteria, while men apply upon meeting just 60 percent. 

The second challenge is a lack of institutional support for women early in their careers. For example, in China, a third of women quit their jobs due to childcare needs. Yet three-quarters said they would return, if childcare were available to them.

All of society – from research centres and employers, to governments – are responsible for supporting women. This should include greater childcare investments in communities, companies and on campuses, flexible working arrangements, and nursing rooms in every organization.  

Educational institutions can also proactively seek female students for STEM courses, with dedicated programs to foster their interest. For example, by offering scholarship opportunities to girls who excel in STEM, but are from low-income families. Public recognition is also important to incentivize and inspire young girls, such as with the L’Oréal-UNESCO prize For Women in Science, supported by The Young Academy of Sweden. 

Given the prolonged leave requirements of having children, allowing female scientists longer to secure research funding can also be impactful – something that China introduced last year under a set of measures to support women in science careers.  

Finally, families and partners are as vital in supporting women scientists as institutions. Ideally, men and women would share household responsibilities equally. Sadly, this is rarely the case anywhere. In China, women spend almost three times longer on housework than men.2 During the pandemic, as nurseries, kindergartens and schools closed, this divide widened across the world. This year, women’s workforce participation plunged to just 57 percent in the US – its lowest in three decades.

Policies that encourage men to play a greater role at home therefore, are critical. In China, this could include raising the statutory paternity leave beyond 14 days. Indeed, the benefits of doing so can be seen in other countries. In Norway, after 14 weeks’ fully paid paternity leave was introduced, 89 percent of fathers took parental leave, versus just four percent previously.  

Ultimately, supporting women in science has effects far beyond gender. We cannot hope to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – to end poverty and protect our planet – with the brainpower of only half the world. That’s why across the UN - including UNDP, UN Women, UNICEF and UNESCO - we are all working to empower women and girls in STEM, in China and globally. 

Thank you to our partners and co-organizers of today’s dialogue, including UN Women and China Women’s Association for Science and Technology, for supporting this vital effort. And thank you to all now joining us. 

Humanity is capable of incredible ingenuity. We can invent groundbreaking vaccines, or one day, even reach Mars… But how much faster could we get there, if women – alongside men – could fully contribute?  

Science is too fast-moving, too filled with uncertainty, to be unlocked by one perspective alone. It needs everyone, to take us all forward. So together, let’s ensure that women and girls today, find the support they need to shape the discoveries that could change our world tomorrow. 

Thank you!