On February 11th, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science will be celebrated, established in 2015 by the UN with the aim of promoting full and equal access to participation in science for women and girls. These days represent an opportunity to educate the public on relevant issues, stimulate political will, and address important global problems.

The underrepresentation of women and girls in science, especially in STEM disciplines, is a significant issue, considering that women make up half of the world's population and thus possess half of humanity's potential. Achieving gender equality is not only a fundamental right but also essential for making the world a better and more sustainable place for all of us.

 “The current situation stems from a patriarchal culture that pervades our daily lives. Sharing and discussing gender stereotypes should lead to widespread awareness, requiring powerful actions and, above all, a reform of seemingly immutable paradigms. Despite the widespread perception that the gender gap is no longer a problem, the numbers show that the glass ceiling still needs to be shattered. For example, in the Italian academic field of geosciences, the underrepresentation of women becomes increasingly evident as careers progress, as highlighted by the scissor graph representing the current situation, which needs little explanation. True change requires sharing rather than claiming, discussing rather than fighting, listening rather than shouting, and acting rather than speculating”, Professor Claudia Agnini points out.

This year, the Department of Geosciences has engaged in a social campaign involving our young researchers in brief double interviews, representative of our approach to the topic: sharing and listening to bring about change.

Thanks to all our PhD students and researchers who participated in the initiatives: Silvia Aldrighetti, Ilaria Barone, Tegan Blount, Elisa Bozzolan, Chiara Coletti, Davide Conedera, Michele Fondriest, Patrick Fonkou, Riccardo Guida, Victor Mutai, Riccardo Pozzobon, Alice Puppin, Lukas Rettig, Francesca Uguagliati 

 

Click on the thumbnails to watch the interviews

 

Shooting and Editing by Barbara Paknazar