Each 11 February commemorates the International Day of the Woman and the Girl in the Science, a date that puts of relief the feminine contribution in the world of the investigation and the technology, as well as the barriers that still persist on the way to the equality of opportunities. In spite of the advances attained in the last decades, the women follow without taking part in the innovation of egalitarian way with regard to the men, according to the data extracted of the inform Woman and Innovation 2024.
Participation of the women in the R&D
The report reveals that a third of the feminine busy population (34,4%) finds in the sector of human resources in science and technology, in comparison with 29,2% of the men. Besides, according to the Survey of Labour supply (EPA), 64% of the new places of work related with the science, the innovation and the new technologies are being occupied by women. However, in spite of this positive tendency in the use, the feminine presence in the innovation still is distant of the full equality.
Inside the activities of internal R&D, the women represent 40,8% of the personnel to complete day. The Public Administration and the Private Institutions Without Ends of Lucre (IPSFL) present the main feminine participation, with 54,5% and 51,3% respectively. In the upper education, the percentage achieves 46,5%, whereas in the business sector reduces until 31,6%.
Brechas In the industry and the biotechnology
By branches of activity, the brecha of gender is more evident in the industrial state, where the women represent less than 30% of the personnel. This inequality self-evident in all the occupations, from researchers until technical personnel and of support. In contrast, the sector of the biotechnology shows a main feminine representation, with 57,7% of the total of personnel in R&D. The main participation gives in the Public Administration and the IPSFL (62,8%), whereas in the companies is of 56,7%.
The community of researchers in biotechnology achieved the 20.945,8 people in equivalence to complete day, of which 54,1% are women. Nevertheless, in the tallest positions, the proportion of women diminishes, reflecting a persistent tendency of minor feminine representation in roles of leadership.
Women inventors and copyright
In the period 2010-2019, Spain situated among the countries with elder prices of women inventors, with 23,2% of the total. However, this figure follows being far of the levels of parity (upper to 40%). In other big European powers, less than 20 of each 100 inventions are made by women. The Report of World-wide Indicators of Copyright 2023 evidence this brecha in the system of patent rights and intellectual.
Inside the Upper Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC), 75,8% of the patents prioritarias include the participation of women. However, the percentage of inventors is of 35,5%, in comparison with 64,5% of the inventors. Only in areas like Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, as well as in Sciences and Technology of Foods, achieves the parity. In other disciplines, like Physical and Chemical Sciences, the presence of women inventors keeps on being drop, with taxes among 27,2% and 37,5%.
Difficulties and challenges of the women in the innovation
The women continue being infrarrepresentadas in roles of leadership in the investigation. Only 33% of the main researchers in universities are women. Besides, the State Agency of Innovation (AEI) shows a low feminine representation in projects funded: the women represent 33,3% of the applications and 33,6% of the projects conceded. Although there has been a growth in the last years (28% in 2021), the brecha of gender in the participation in R&D funded with public funds keeps on being a structural problem.
The women also confront obstacles in the access to the financing for innovar (49,6%), find qualified professionals (41,1%) and form strategic alliances (32,7%). Besides, only 20% of the presidencies of commissions of selection in announcements of helps to projects of innovation are occupied by women, whereas in vicepresidencias the figure is of 12,5% and in vocalías of 32,3%.
The path to the equity of gender in the science and the innovation keeps on being defiant. In spite of the increasing access of the women to careers STEM and his participation in R&D, persist barriers in leadership, patents and financing of projects. The visibilización of feminine models in the innovation is key to inspire to the new generations and attain a system more equitativo.
In this International Day of the Woman and the Girl in the Science, is fundamental to follow promoting political and strategies that boost the equality of opportunities in the sector, promoting the inclusion and reducing the brecha of gender in the science, the technology and the innovation.