Presentation to the IANAS Exec. Board, La Paz, Bolivia, Feb. 25, 2010 Towards an IANAS Working Group ”Women for Science” Dr. Johanna Levelt Sengers Scientist Emeritus, NIST, USA Member, NAS and NAE Co-Chair, IAC Advisory Panel “Women for Science”

Towards an IANAS Working Group Women for Science OUTLINE 1. Women for Science, InterAcademy Council Advisory Report, IANAS Women for Science Symposium, Mexico City, April IANAS proposal to IAP, Women for Science, a new IANAS Working Group, 2010?

1.1 Women for Science InterAcademy Council (IAC) Advisory Report, 2006 Manju Sharma, India, and Johanna Levelt Sengers, USA The first report to address all IAP Science Academies on attracting and advancing women into the sciences

1.2 Women for Science InterAcademy Council Advisory Report Worldwide science and technology capacity building is not possible without full engagement of women in S&T, from the top decision-making levels all the way down to the grassroots education in S&T for girls and women increase visibility of women scientists/engineers build an inclusive institutional culture networking, mentoring to break isolation

2.1 Women for Science Symposium, IANAS, Mexico City, April 2009 Alice Abreu, Robert Markarian, Maria del Carmen Samayoa, Judith Zubieta Represented: All IANAS academies TWOWS, GAB Co-chairs, IAC report

2.2 Women for Science Symposium, IANAS, Mexico City, April report Jan Gender and Public Policy - high illiteracy, high drop-out among girls in Latin America. Science poorly taught. Few female leaders and role models. Low visibility of women scientists. Remove obstacles - exchange experience and analyze results of different strategies in various countries, and of international organizations. Increase visibility of women in SET - A network and virtual community for women on the IAP, IANAS, TWOWS and other websites. Sex-disaggregated data - Measuring women’s presence at all levels of S&T is essential to designing policy. Analytic tools of social sciences are needed, such as a system of indicators.

2.3 Women for Science Symposium, IANAS, Mexico City, April report Jan Actions for IANAS Networking Exchange programs for young women scientists On-line interactive data bank about/for women in science 17 recommendations for Academies, not prioritized Conclusions Equitable S&T literacy needed in Latin America, with attention to marginalized groups in general, not only women.

3.1 IANAS Proposal to IAP, 2009 (funded) Strengthening the Participation of Women and Girls in Science and Engineering in the Americas

3.2 IANAS proposal to IAP With TWOWS, the UN Gender Advisory Board and the UNESCO Latin America Chair on Women and S&T, develop actions for the IANAS member academies to strengthen participation of girls and women in S&T Form an IANAS WfS Working Group to develop a plan of action for the IANAS Board for implementing the IAC WfS Advisory Report and the IANAS WfS Workshop Report Provide gender-related inputs to IANAS’ planned Sci. Ed. Meeting in Brazil, 2010 – already being scheduled

4.1 Working Group Criteria for WG members IANAS Executive Board expects: Both male and female members Geographic balance Ties to international organizations that work on Women in S&T issues

4.2 Additional Criteria for WG members ( proposed) Limited size of WG (about 5 members max.) Mostly Academy members – but with experience in including women in S&T Must be fully committed, make time available, have vision and drive, and be well connected in the IANAS region

4.3 Topics for Consideration Complement current IANAS programs/projects Invite women be part of the solution Water – engage women, from scientists and engineers, to leaders at the grass roots Energy – welcome women scientists and engineers – engage women leaders at the grass roots Sci. Ed. – how to reduce women’s illiteracy? – how to engage and teach science to girls? Capacity Building – include women in exchange programs IANAS Academies – compare national experiences What works for advancing women in S&T?

4.4 Networking - On-Line Resources and Databanks Start with what is out there already! TWOWS, IAP, OAS, TWAS, UNESCO, UN: GAB Women in Science (AWIS) Latinoamericanas en las Ciencias Exactas y de la Vida Links to these resources Networking - chat rooms Databanks on women in S&T

4.5 Sex-disaggregated Data Measures of the representation of women in S&T Keep track of progress Questions for the IANAS WG to address: Who are the users? What data are most useful to them? How should the data be organized? Make use of existing resources (TWOWS, GAB..)

4.6 Partnerships IANAS Academies to partner with organizations giving awards to women in S&T Yearly L’Oréal postdoctoral fellowships (Brazil, US)

4.7 Cultural Obstacles Women’s low representation at the top levels in S&T is universal The obstacles to advancement are often cultural IANAS provides a laboratory where Latino and Anglo cultural barriers could be compared

Conclusion IANAS encompasses a culturally, ethnically and economically diverse region of close to a billion people. Science and Technology hold the keys to a sustainable future. A better life for the dispossessed, and a sustainable future for the region will require the full participation of women. An IANAS Women for Science Program is needed to complement and enhance existing IANAS programs.