Where are the women in science?

While governments around the world are wringing their hands over a lack of gender diversity in the sciences, some countries are managing to buck the trend with more women than men working in research and development.

Globally, just 28% of R&D workers are women, according to a study by UNESCO. Although in a few countries more than half of researchers are women, and in Myanmar, the highest scoring country, the figure is 86%.

Latin American countries that score well include Argentina and Venezuela with 53% and 54% respectively, and Cuba and Guatemala with 45% and 55%.

In Europe, eastern European nations including Serbia, Lithuania, Macedonia and Moldova score well. While in Asia Pacific, Thailand, Malaysia and New Zealand all have levels around 50%.

To help us understand the situation around the world, UNESCO has put together a series of interactive graphics. They show the countries where the most progress is being made to bring about equality.

Source: UNESCO Factsheet

As the map highlights, the global situation is one of low equality, with few nations returning scores of around 50%. In fact, just one in five countries have figures of between 45 and 55%.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Report highlights the extent of the gap between men and women in societies around the world. In terms of education, in 24 countries the gap is widening or stagnating, while the overall gap is just 4% smaller than it was 10 years ago.

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Author: Joe Myers is a Digital Content Producer at Formative Content.

Image: Molecular Genetics Technical Specialist Jaime Wendt looks at a slide containing DNA at the Human and Molecular Genetics Center Sequencing Core at  the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 9, 2014. REUTERS/Jim Young