STEM education and occupations must ensure inclusive futures for women and girls: Special on IDWGS

STEM education and occupations must endure inclusive futures for women and girls: Special on IDWGIS

In 2026, the UN proclaimed observance International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS) on Feburary 11 is being held wtith the theme “Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance: Building Inclusive Futures for Women and Girls.”

The UN stated, "As societies grapple with widening inequalities, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), social science, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and finance emerges as a four-pillar approach to accelerate inclusive and sustainable development."

According to the UN, AI offers powerful tools for data analytics, health diagnostics, climate modelling and more; however, without targeted interventions, its benefits risk bypassing women and girls. Justifying the four domains of the theme, the UN said, "Social science insights guide the design of equitable policies, community engagement and behaviour-change strategies, ensuring that STEM and AI innovations reach marginalized groups. STEM disciplines provide the technical skills required to develop, implement and maintain AI solutions, while fostering gender-balanced research teams. Financial mechanisms—including impact investing, blended finance and gender-smart funds—unlock capital to scale women-led innovations and sustainably fund STEM education and research and development (R&D)."

UNSECO holds that Closing this gender gap in STEM areas is not only a matter of fairness—it is essential to the quality, relevance and impact of science, technology and innovation. And, there is a need to focus on new and emerging technologies and their implications for gender equality. "Synergizing these four domains can help dismantle persistent barriers by closing gender gaps in digital skills, catalysing women-driven start-ups, advancing gender-responsive AI governance, and mobilising finance that embeds social inclusion as a performance metric," urges the UN agency.

"We must ensure that every girl can imagine a future in STEM, and that every woman can thrive in her scientific career, said the the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message on the occasion of the observance

According to Dr Lalit Kishore, CASTME-India Adviser, for gender equity in STEM education, within the Indian schools the science and technology courses are "masculinised", both in content structures and teaching methods. For gender equity, the STEM education must follow feminist pedahogy which emphasises cooperative and collaborative teaching methods and treats classrooms as community of learners.