International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Stemming the tide
Despite efforts to promote girls' participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers, the number of women in these fields remains low.
Women account for only 25 per cent of STEM jobs in the country, with a significant gap in representation in technical roles, particularly in software development, data science and cybersecurity.
According to a recent study, only about 30 per cent of researchers in Africa are women, underscoring the underrepresentation of women in science, technology and innovation.
In July 2024, the country launched the Girls-In-ICT Trust initiative, which aimed to bridge the gender gap in technology by providing training, mentorship, and financial support to girls and young women.
As we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, 2026, women and girls in the country continue to face significant challenges in pursuing STEM.
Some of the identifiable challenges that hinder women and girls from entering the domain include societal stereotypes, a lack of role models, inadequate support systems and unfavourable working conditions.
Interventions
With the 2026 theme “From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap," it is hoped that, with interventions spearheaded by organisations such as the Women in Tech Ghana and the Girls-In-ICT Trust, the country will record an increased number of girls and women in STEM over the next decade, through targeted interventions, including mentorship programmes, coding workshops and career guidance sessions.
According to UNESCO, women continue to represent less than one-third of the world's researchers, underscoring that closing the gender gap matters not only for fairness but also for the quality, relevance, and impact of science, technology and innovation.
Women make up just one-third of the global scientific community. In some countries, fewer than 1 in 10 researchers are women, and even fewer hold STEM leadership roles.
In 2024, UNESCO launched its Call to Action dubbed "Closing the Gender Gap in Science".
According to the organisation, this imbalance limits the diversity of ideas and research, introduces bias into research, and risks overlooking key perspectives as we tackle global challenges.
To this end, closing the gender gap in science requires concrete steps to promote gender equality and it behoves on the government, institutions, the public and private sectors, and civil society to act.
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