Women and women proceed to face systemic boundaries in science and expertise regardless of enhancements in entry to training, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has mentioned, calling for renewed efforts to shut gender gaps in analysis and innovation.
In a message issued to mark the upcoming International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, 2026, Guterres mentioned equality in the sciences was “essential for humanity’s progress”, however warned that girls in STEM careers have been nonetheless being held again by an absence of analysis funding, persistent gender stereotypes and discriminatory office practices.
Globally, ladies make up just one in three researchers, he mentioned, highlighting what he described as a “pronounced” hole in technology-related fields. According to the secretary-general, ladies account for simply 26 per cent of the workforce in information and synthetic intelligence, and solely 12 per cent in cloud computing.
Guterres mentioned the underrepresentation of ladies, significantly in management roles, was not solely an fairness challenge but additionally a sensible one. The absence of feminine voices in the event of digital applied sciences, he warned, was embedding bias into instruments that more and more form on a regular basis life, resulting in “real-world harm”.
Excluding ladies from science weakens the world’s means to answer pressing international challenges, together with local weather change, public well being crises and house safety, Guterres mentioned. Addressing these issues, he added, requires guaranteeing that women can envision a future in STEM and that girls scientists are capable of construct and maintain profitable careers.
The secretary-general mentioned the United Nations was supporting ladies and women in science, expertise, engineering and arithmetic by means of initiatives such as scholarships, internships and mentorship programmes throughout a spread of disciplines.
“From advancing renewable energy to preventing the next pandemic, our future hinges on unlocking as much human talent as possible,” Guterres mentioned, urging governments, establishments and employers to behave. Ensuring that girls and women can realise their scientific ambitions, he added, is crucial each for his or her rights and for the broader advantage of society.