Gender inequality is a long-standing and widespread issue in education and careers in STEM fields within both developed and developing countries. Recent research shows that women are still visibly underrepresented as researchers in STEM fields in all regions, with the world’s average of only 28.8 percent. Overall, the number of women in the aerospace industry has fluctuated at around 20 percent for at least 30 years and among astronauts, only 11 percent have been women.
Space matters when it comes to the right of women to benefit from science and technology and also as a dimension of achieving the SDGs. Space-related science, technology, innovation and exploration will contribute to bettering humankind and the sustainability of our planet within many areas such as agriculture, climate change, disaster response, transportation, health, communication, and many more spinoffs and applications. We must strive to ensure that women have access to these benefits, which unfortunately is now not a given. Moreover, we must also ensure that needs specific to women’s and girls’ empowerment and gender equality are also prioritised and addressed.
A global advocate for women and speaker on our platform, Karin Nilsdotter has been active in Space4Women, a project of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), established to facilitate access to space and STEM education and careers for women and girls around the world. At the same time, the project aims to ensure that women can take equal advantage of the benefits of space exploration, science and technology.
Please watch Karin Nilsdotter speak about the significance of attraction and retention of female talents in STEM fields and the immense potential of making space travel available for everyone in an ever-changing world where technology advances rapidly.
This episode is a part of The Game Changers project, which is a thought-provoking platform where Credit Suisse inspires viewers and showcases their commitment to diversity through the introduction of prominent role models, advocates and thought leaders in Asia.
Also, please check out a snippet of our speakers on the topic of ‘Female Leadership’.
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