On February 11, the world celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
In 2021, there were 6.9 million female scientists and engineers in the EU, 369,800 more than in 2020, accounting for 41% of total employment in science and engineering.
“Learning is not limited to gender,” says Wendy Giovanna Andino Villalta from Honduras, a fourth-year student of mechatronics at Kaunas University of Technology.
Giovanna is the only girl in her class. She believes that the misconception that engineering and STEM study fields are not “feminine” is what keeps women away from them.
“I encourage women to pursue their passions, to pursue engineering without caring about the difficulty of it or the opinions of others,” says Andino.
Lithuania is among the 14 EU regions, which has the most women scientists and engineers. With a whopping 52% of women working in science and engineering, Lithuania stands next to Northern Sweden (52%), Latvia (51%), certain regions of Portugal and Spain, and some Eastern European countries.
34% of all KTU students are women. Half of female KTU students (48%) are studying science, engineering, and technology. However, the proportions of women and men in engineering, science, and technology degrees are different. For example, the majority of biomedical science field students (almost 54%) are women.
Image courtesy of Iryna Bielotska, KTU alumni from Ukraine.
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