February 11 is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. TRAWOS researchers talk about their scientific careers.
February 11 is the International Day for Girls and Women in Science. This day of action, initiated by the United Nations, is intended to draw attention to the unequal representation of women in research worldwide and calls for more equal opportunities, especially within the natural and technical sciences.
According to UNESCO, less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women; at TRAWOS, however, they are in the majority. We want to make girls and women in science visible, especially on this day of action. Female scientists at TRAWOS reflect on why they have chosen a career in science and what they want for the future of their research.
Despite some progress, there are still structural barriers that prevent women from gaining a foothold in science or taking advantage of career opportunities. These include:
Today is a reminder that gender equality is not only a question of justice, but also of scientific excellence. More diversity in research leads to better results and innovative solutions to regional and global challenges.
Take a look at the TRAWOS brochure "10 years of research on women's lifestyles in regions undergoing structural change", published in 2024
"I find it particularly motivating to generate knowledge that can ideally serve as the basis for measures to make our society fairer. I value the exchange with various stakeholders about equality and gender-related injustices because it broadens my own perspective and also gives my counterparts food for thought."
”"For the future, I hope that hostility towards science will no longer be tolerated in society. As a gender scientist in particular, I still have to justify too often that my research is legitimate and robust. Too often, my scientific expertise is downgraded as an opinion and people from outside the field believe they have the legitimacy to criticize me on the content of my work without being asked. My wish for all girls and FLINTA+ in science is that their wealth of knowledge is appreciated, that their everyday work is free from sexism (and all other -isms) and that they are given all the resources they need to live up to their full potential and magnificence."
”Her wishes for the future of gender research in Saxony were expressed by Prof.in. Monique Ritter, former employee at TRAWOS, expressed her wishes for the future of gender research in Saxony at an expert discussion at TU Dresden in November. For her, gender research is not feasible without attitudes and values in higher education, as it deals with issues based on human rights. At TRAWOS, there is good networking in the Lusatia region, as well as good cooperation between the employees who conduct research on gender issues. Prof. Ritter would also like to see this good networking and cooperation between universities and colleges of applied sciences. Ritter would also like to see this good networking and cooperation between universities and universities of applied sciences in Saxony. She also emphasizes the importance of intersectional perspectives in Saxon gender research, which she believes should be given greater focus.
