The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), and the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) are delighted to invite you to a virtual conference titled “Women in STEM in Time of the Pandemic – Facing Challenges, Finding Resilience.”

Gender equality and the empowerment of women is a key component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is addressed specifically through SDG5 but is a cross-cutting issue through the other 16 goals. Yet, progress has been slow in many sectors, including in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). According to UN Women, only 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women, and only 35 percent of all students enrolled in STEM-related fields of study are women. Also, recent studies have found that women in STEM fields publish less, are paid less for their research, and do not progress as far as men in their careers. STEM fields are a foundation to shaping our future: with digitalization and science playing a key role in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring gender equality in STEM has never been more vital. 

Today, the pandemic is affecting women worldwide, presenting a multitude of challenges in their everyday lives. Women in STEM face additional challenges such as precarious working conditions and maintaining work-life balance. But as we know, women are also change-makers. Women working in STEM are using their knowledge, experiences, and networks to find new opportunities and create new spaces for innovation in their fields. 

“Women in STEM in the Time of the Pandemic – Facing the Challenges, Finding Resilience” will highlight the challenges and opportunities for women in STEM as a result of the pandemic. It will explore how COVID-19 has affected gender equality and women’s empowerment in both positive and negative ways. This conference will present a unique platform for leaders and changemakers from diverse backgrounds – women and men, senior and youth, diverse nationalities – in STEM to come together, share their experiences and perspectives on the pandemic and its impact on women working in STEM, to help shape the future of this critical field.