“WOMEN IN SCIENCES”

1. “WOMEN IN SCIENCES” Dr. Lilliam Alvarez Diaz, Director of Sciences,Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and EnvironmentE-mail: lilliam@citma.cu

2. Are we visible ?Or invisibles ?

3. Sólo 3 mujeres en el Simposium Latinoamericano de Física de las Altas Energías año 2000 !!!

4. UNESCO World Conference on Science, held in Budapest in June 1999, was a crucial moment in the organization of an Action Plan and sensitizing the decision makers and authorities in the more urgent problems enfacing women in Science and Technology, especially in the Third World. • (Women in Sciences in Latin America assisted with well preparation and awareness…since UNESCO Bariloche Meeting in 1998…) • In Budapest, the speeches in the Main Hall pronounced by Lydia Makhubu and Rosa Elena Simeon, (the sadly lost Minister of Science and Technology of Cuba), were very impressive and left prepared the participants for the panels in the subsequent days…….

5. The lack of participation of Women in politics, in the socio-economical and cultural development, in S&T, necessarily Delay The societies maintaining inequities

6. Because Women are not a minority We are the half of the Humankind And the Mothers of the other half !

7. Some figures: 3/5 parts of the poorest people of the world are women and girls 70% of the 130 millions of non-studying persons in the world are girls 2/3 parts of the 960 millions of illiterates in the world are women

9. Richest countries, having les of the 20% of the world population: • Execute more than the 80% of the funds for R&D • Publish the 85% of the scientific papers • Are owners of around the 90% of the patents • By other hand, 1/3 of the graduated students (men or women ), finishing the careers in the “the third world” do not work for the development of our countries……

10. In addition, we haveGender biasin Science teaching !

11. By failing to encourage women to pursue careers in Physics, as well as men, the world wastes a substantial portion of its talent and severely limits women’s potential contributions. • Participation of women in all spheres of society and in particular in fields such as science, has enormous implications not only for women themselves, but for the whole of our societies. Such participation is also very important in shaping the future of our countries. • The influence of role models is crucial. Efforts must be made to provide more women as mentors for younger women scientists during the early stages of their careers, or even as early as during their period of training. • Being pro-active is the only way to change the current situation and ‘to correct’ biases and thus promote greater participation of women in Sciences in the future.

12. BUDAPEST + 10 • Which have been the advancements??……… • Are they enough ? • Can we be satisfied ? • …………… • Let us remember the text of the ACTION PLAN related to WOMEN IN SCIENCES….

13. Some of the main items approved in the Action Plan were the following: • “Government agencies, international organizations and universities and research institutions should ensure the full participation of womenin the PLANNING, ORIENTATION, CONDUCT AND ASSESMENT OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES. • It is necessary that women participate actively in SHAPING THE AGENDA FOR FUTURE DIRECTION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. • All countries should contribute to the collection of reliable data, in an internationally standarized manner, for the generation of gender-disaggregated statistics on S&T, • Governments and educational institutions should identify and eliminate, from early learning stages on, educational practices that have a discriminatory effect, so as to increase the successful participation in science of individuals from all sectors of society, including disadvantaged groups”

14. The foundation of the UNESCO Cathedra for Women in Science and Technology in Latin America, directed by Gloria Bonder from Argentina was a very important step, in particular the developing of Research Projects with the participation of many countries of the Region, authorities of S&T, (men or women), establishing tendencies, identifying stereotypes, common perceptions, etc. • Certainly, there have been two main causes: one is a the difficulties in the electronic communication which has been intermittent,…the other one… • In general in the Region, Latin America and the Caribbean persists the lack of financial support to organize joint meetings, projects, publications or fellowships for young women scientists.

15. WOMEN IN LAC: Common problems • In our countries, work force is still almost entirely sex-segregated, i.e., most occupations are either predominantly female or predominantly female. In a pallid way (and there are some representatives), some occupational barriers have fallen but in general, in the Caribbean Region women are clustered to jobs that demand service, patience, subordination status, and in general jobs with low salaries and little chance of advancements,(“pink-collar ghetto”). • The ‘Glass-ceiling’ phenomena is also present in women doing hard Sciences in the Caribbean: they do not access to decision positions. • Each one is consequence of others. That means, if we have in the Region poor representation of women in decision levels, that is consequence of stereotypes, occupational segregation, gender bias in the education, etc. • Obviously, some of the referred problems are intrinsically gender issues, not related to the economical situation of each country but with historical assumptions of an androcentric world.

16. In LAC in this 10 years in different Workshops, Conferences, fruitful debates and studies the following problems can be identified, which are common to women pursuing careers in science and technology: • Leadership Problems. • Under-Representation of Women at Decision-Making Levels. • Occupational Segregation. • Tendency to Medical/Health Sciences and Education –which are Traditional Vestiges. • Under Representation of Women In Basic Sciences as Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy (except Chemistry). • Migration and brain drain (common for males and females for all the Third World). • Stereotypes. • Gender Bias in Text Books for all Levels and in Scientific Vocabulary and Scientific Literature.

17. The Cuban experience

18. In 1959, the triumph of the Cuban Revolution found: • 600 00 children without schools • 10 00 teachers without classrooms • Emigration outside of Cuba of a big number of physicians and professionals • Women and girls received more directly the impact of the poor economy

19. Defining Development and Progress • Recovering the Human Dignity • Cultural Identity • Institutional Organization • Ecological Sustainability • Including Women in the social life • Eliminating all kind of Racism • Literacy • Food • Health Care • Education • Housing • Social Commitment of Scientists • Social Appropriation of S&T – • Citizens with a general integral Culture

20. Concrete Actions: • Teaching Reform, 1961 • Private School interventions Public Schools • Campaign against Illiteracy in 1961: Major Female participation: • 59% of the voluntary young teachers were women • 55 % of the people learning to read and write were women • Cuban Women Federation, FMC, played a decisive role recovering the dignity of Cuban women, involving them in all the same activities as men, with complete access to the labor life. • The FMC founded the Children Garden and new Schools having lunch included. These were definite steps in adding the women force to the construction of a new society. • The Pregnancy Law and the Family Code

21. FOUNDATIONS OF THE CUBAN SCIENTIFIC POLICY: • DEVELOPMENT OF OUR OWN HUMAN POTENTIAL, (OPENNING OPORTUNITIES FOR ALL, TALENTED GIRLS AND BOYS) • FOSTERING THE CUBAN SOCIAL AND ECONOMICAL DEVELOPMENT

22. CUBAN SCIENCE TODAY: • 1,21 % GDP DEVOTED TO S&T ACTIVITIES • 1,15 RESEARCHERS AND ENGINEERS PER THOUSAND PERSONS OF THE LABOUR FORCE

23. Cuba, has been recently catalogued, by the UNDP, as a country having High Human Development Index and this fact has been possible only for the permanent political will and investments in S&T and a network of Research institutions working in the main priorities of the country: Food productions, Health, Biotechnology, Renewable Energies, Natural Sciences, Environment, Natural disasters and Climate changes, Basic Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technologies for information and communication… AND HAVING HIGH INDEXES OF WOMEN INCLUSION

24. CUBA TODAY: • 217 INSTITUTIONS DEVOTED TO S&T , (with more than 50 000 researchers in R+D), 115 ARE RESEARCH INSTITUTES • 63 CENTERS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, disseminated in all the provinces, • More than 3 000 Faculties of Universities in 169 Municipalities in the Island. • 11 million of inhabitants

25. +36 Institutions devoted to Biotechnology I+D+i+C: Scientific Pole of West Havana CIGB CENIC CIM I. FINLAY IPK CIE CNB CENSA CIREN

26. ECONOMICAL IMPACTS OF THE CUBAN SCIENCE SYSTEM • GROWING OF THE NEW PRODUCTS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY • GROWING OF PRODUCTS TO SUBSTITUTE IMPORTING ISSUES, SUCH AS PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS, VACCINES, FOODS, OIL, ETC.

27. NEW RESULTS:RELEVANTS FOR THE CUBAN HEALTH CARE SHYSTEM • NEW Haemóphilus Vaccine ***** • NEW Biotechnological Products • Monoclonal AntiBody egf-R3

28. IMPACT OF THE NATIONAL PROGRAM OF VACCINATION

29. 89,7% of effectiveness in the meteorological forecasting • Sistematical Sismological Monitoring PRIORIZED SERVICES:

30. WOMEN IN SCIENCES IN CUBA:

31. CUBA TODAY: INDEXES OF FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN PRIORIZED PROGRAMS AEREA% OF TECHNICAL FORCE% OF LEADERSHIP HEALTH 79,9 35,8 EDUCATION 70,2 48,6 TOURISM 52,0 25,0 SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY 65,3 * 26,1 * SUGAR AGRO-INDUSTRY 33,9 10,5 AGRICULTURE 32, 6 11,6 COPERATIVE SECTOR 28,2 14,4

32. Being visible:COMMISSION OF WOMEN IN SCIENCES: • In Cuba, The Commission of Women in Sciences in the Cuban Academy of Sciences was founded as the TWOWS National Chapter in June 2000. The Chapter, together with a Section of Women in Sciences belonging to the Cuban Academy of Sciences has until now 120 members. • Cuban women in Physics have been especially active, participating and organizing Conferences, Round Tables, etc, in different Universities, Scientific institutions and Internationa activities as IUPAP Meeting for Women in Physics. Some of them as have developed a strong activity, studying and popularizing the gender issues. • In Cuba, an Annual Prize was created to stimulate 5 of the best scientific results having a woman as first author. The prizes are dedicated to the branches of Exact and Natural Sciences, Biomedicine, Agricultural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technical Sciences and Engineering. The Women in Science Prizes are selected from the basis of the National Awards of the Cuban Academy of Sciences, guaranteeing a rigorous scientific analysis. • Since 2003 was founded, in coordination with the Sofia Kovalievskaia Foundation, directed by the prestigious personalities of USA, Ann and Neal Koblitz, an Award every two years, for the best three works in Basic Sciences directed by Cuban women. This year, March 2009, we celebrated the Fourth Edition of the Award.

33. Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS) Conference held in Guadaloupe in 2000 and in Havana in 2001, were good opportunities to joint women doing sciences in the Caribbean and interested in gender issues. • This action opened the idea and the financial support of CAS for organizing, in Trinidad and Tobago the Conference on Key issues facing women in Science in the Caribbean held from 29th April to 2nd May, 2001, and were many of us had the possibility to joint information, with a paper as a result titled Preliminary remarks on the situation of women in science and technology in the Caribbean by Lilliam Alvarez, Veronica Broomes, Grace Sirju-Charran and Rinia Doelhalasori. • Some young Cuban women scientists were recommended to participate in some Conferences and also to support some fellowship proposal. One of the more relevant was the participation of one theoretical physicist in a short term training in Fermilab in USA, supported by the APS. • The Conferences of the International Union for Pure and Applied Physics on Women are celebrated every two years and some physicists from Latin American countries have obtained funds to participate, especially from Brasil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Cuba, many of them TWOWS members. We had the opportunity to debate our problems and to compare different points of views with European and North-American women in Physics.

34. IBEROAMERICAN CONFERENCES S&T AND GENDER • FOUNDED BY EULALIA PEREZ SEDENO, CONSUELO MIQUEO, MARI LIRES….AND MANY OTHER HIGHLY RECOGNIZED SPANISH SCIENTISTS… • I – 4TH EDTIONS HELD IN SAPAIN • Especial reference deserves the V CONGRESO IBEROAMERICANO DE CIENCIA, TECNOLOGÍA Y GÉNERO, held in Mexico City, on February 2004. the coordinator and main organizer and promoting person was Dra. Norma BlazquezThe Congress was developed en the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), with the purpose of joining those persons in Iberoamerica working or interested in themes related with S&T from a Gender perspective. • 7TH EDITION HEL IN HAVANA, CUBA IN 2008. • The objective was to analyze the current situation of women in the Science and Technology Systems in Latin America and Spain, to explore the negative consequences that could cause the exclusion of gender issues in the practices, contents, organization and future strategies. Also, the Conference has the purpose of promoting equitative presence of women in all levels. • THE NEXT EDITION WILL TAKE PLACE IN CURITIBA-BRAZIL, APRIL 2010.

35. WOMEN IN SCIENCES The Caribbean: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Dominican Republic, Bermudas….

36. The Caribbean • It is necessary to recall that, concentrating the analysis in the Caribbean Region, big gaps appear in the socio-economics conditions of our small countries, going from Mexico and Cuba to Central America countries (except Costa Rica, maybe) and Haiti as the extreme cases. • Cuba exhibits the best situation in the subjective aspects, and in this sense already has a long distance ahead its neighbors. However women in sciences still face serious economical troubles, in their everyday and scientific lives. • Trinidad and Tobago is in a better economical situation, but still prevail big economical inequities and many subjective and subjacent andocentric and pre-conceived assumptions. • Mayra de la Torres recently has appointed her observation: In Jamaica a Program is needed to call BOYSto study SCIENCES…but prevails the discrimination of women in all spheres of the society….

37. Individual Caribbean WOMEN IN SCIENCES in the last 10 years, have been very active promoting gender issues in their countries. We have had very good reference on the work of Helen Asemota and other colleagues form the University of West Indies, Mona Campus. • Through the Caribbean Academy of Sciences, we could have contact with women in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, as Grace Sirju-Charran and Veronica Broomes, having the possibility to study some statistics and to discuss common problems facing women doing Sciences in the Caribbean as the followings: leadership problems, Tendency of girls to Med Sciences and Education as traditional vestiges, under representation of women in basic sciences as Mathematics, Physics, migration and brain drain (common for males and females for all the Third World), under representation of women in scientific decision levels, gender bias in the text books in all levels and in the scientific vocabulary and scientific literature, masculinity of Science, stereotypes (masculine to be a good scientist, masculine to be good head of department, masculine to be a good Dean, to be a good chief!); pour Science Education in basic sciences in Primary and Secondary levels, (Cuba is an exception in this point), occupational segregation.

38. THE THIRD WORLD ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE (TWOWS)Promoting Women’s Participation and Contribution to Science in Developing Countries • From the Latin American and Caribbean Report: • Since Budapest 1999, an important step was the organization of the TWOWS National Chapters in our countries. This task was difficult to organize, because of different causes. The activism of the members was required and not in every case was a successful project. ….“Talent is the duty to employ it in benefit of the homeless” José Martí Cuban Hero Bangalore, India, November 2005

39. TWOWS NATIONAL CHAPTERS MUST BE RE-VITALIZAED • TWAS AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL BODIES FOR S&T REQUIRE TO BE “ENGENDERED”, (TWAS- nowadays…< 10 % OF MEMBERSHIP…), • Other Academies ?, IAP, IANAS, …..Councils ?.. • ...Cuban Academy of Sciences has 28 % of Women in its membership…..2 women in the Council….(10 members..)

40. MEXICO, 2008, REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE TASK FORCE – WORKING DOCUMENT “GENDER, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD: PRIORITIES FOR SOUTH-SOUTHANDNORTH-SOUTH COOPERATION” Prepared byProf. Dr. Farida Shah and Dr. Lilliam Alvarez(Malaysia) (Cuba)

41. REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE • PROPOSAL FOR A TWAS STRATEGIC PLAN • The recommendations to TWAS Council on policy issues and strategies related to Empowering women in S&T in the developing world propose that: • A framework should be defined on how the standing committee can implement its programs and projects. • A framework should be defined on how TWAS can assist TWOWS Strategic Plan 2009. • Realistic funds and resource mobilization strategies for pursuing some of the programs listed below. • Programs be organized under the broad headings as listed below with various projects to be undertaken by TWAS, TWOWS or together

42. Research projects • A main theme of research which will foster collaboration between TWOWS regional members • Research Programs for • Regional or National benefit • such as: • Women’s Health and Reproductive health , • Women and Menopause, • Traditional medicine and nutraceuticals for TWOWS members • LOCAL Development REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE

43. ACTIONS TO INCREASE THE VISIBILITY: • Multiplying the efforts, (up to now we have been individuals or few groups in the promotion and calling the attention) • Working with MEDIA - Radio, Television, Newspapers……. • A MASSIVE CAMPAIGN FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE IS NEEDED……

44. SOME IDEAS FOR MORE VISIBILITY OF WOMEN IN SCIENCES…. • To organize Workshops on • "Best Practices in the Promotion of Women in Science and Technology". • These events could be very useful for comparing strategies, as well as developing new tools for possible implementation by governments, universities, industry, and academia.

45. SOME IDEAS FOR MORE VISIBILITY OF WOMEN IN SCIENCES…. • Career development/Training programs /leadership training • In order to prepare the next  generation of Women in sciences leaders, it is possible to propose  a 5-year project,  • "Young Women Leaders", • where some women selected from different parts of the world will be mentored  and prepared to take leading positions • To design and organize • “Mentorship Programs”. • Pivotal to the strong participation of women in S&T is the existence of strong mentorship programs, whereby young women professors, researchers in government or industries as mentors who they could go to regularly for advice/counsel. • A great problem worldwide is the RETENTION of women scientistsand engineers, and mentorship is often a successful tool to career pursuit and development.

46. SOME IDEAS FOR MORE VISIBILITY OF WOMEN IN SCIENCES…. • Career development/Training programs /leadership training • To find mechanisms to ensure and monitor that women and girls are not excluded from S&T activities throughout the developing world • To develop the capacity of institutions, organizations and agencies involved in S&T for developing activities and to collect gender disaggregated data , documenting constraints and progress in expanding the role of women in science and technology in the developing world.

47. SOME IDEAS FOR MORE VISIBILITY OF WOMEN IN SCIENCES…. • Education/ Awareness Programs • To organize, design and formalize plans to publish profiles of successful women scientists in the developing world as “role models” for the young generation and distribute the information worldwide • To design effective Programs to support and encourage talented young female scientists.

48. Networking South-South and • South-North Cooperation a Portal for “Network and a Virtual community” for Women in Sciences, in ICSU, IANAS, IAP, TWAS website, within which all the regional websites of TWOWS National Chapters and other Cathedras, Organizations, Institutions for Science, Tech and Gender can be hyperlinked. • To utilize structures, policies, regulatory frameworks, explicit and tacit intellectual knowledge, activities and relationships among NGOs, international organizations, the public and private institutions, infrastructures and industries throughout the developing world, working together to contribute towards the utilization of S&T for the development, the identification of S&T projects with gender perspectives and the implementation and monitoring the socio-economical impacts of these initiatives. SOME IDEAS FOR MORE VISIBILITY OF WOMEN IN SCIENCES….

49. Networking South-South and South- North Cooperation: • Mailing lists and emails will be used to facilitate these activities. • The approach will seek to develop viable and practical resource mobilization strategies by working closely with international donors and foundations, the private sector and NGOs. • To recommend Programs that promote • South-South cooperation • and organization of regional meetings and workshops on gender issues in Science & Technology, including exchanges on achievements of women scientists. • To support South-South and South-North Exchange for Lectureship Programs of • Relevant Scientific women living in • the developing countries.

50. Increasing participation of women at decision making levels • To recommend that a Canvassing Committee of 6-9 members, (women and men), be established to aggressively seek nominations of Meritorious Women of the developing world for membership in TWAS.  This is key to enhancing the proportion of women members in TWAS • To identify women scientists who successfully reached high level leadership positions in academic, government or private sector: Task Force to advise IAP, ICSU, IANAS, TWAS, National Acadmies !!! to pay more attention to increasing women in its membership by identifying those leading women scientists