At Sol Collaborative one of our stated missions is empowering women. As the father of 6 daughters this is an area that is also equally important to me personally. Women and Girls are vastly underrepresented in the sciences, With today being the International Day of Women and Girls in Science our intention was to highlight some leaders in various fields of scientific study. However, an internet search for ‘women leaders in science’ brings up more dead scientists than living. And the living ones referenced in many cases are decades old discoveries. This simply isn’t acceptable and it isn’t an accurate representation of the impact women are having in these fields today.
As stated by the United Nations, with Sustainable Development Goal 9, part of the Global Goals that world leaders agreed to in 2015 with a deadline of 2030, countries around the world have pledged to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.”
On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let's change this narrative. Join us in celebrating women and girls, who are leading innovation and call for actions to remove all barriers that hold them back.
We need to do better. And the reality is that we can. I want to invite you to empower your daughters and sisters and wives and friends to chase after their dreams. To encourage them to do whatever they want, including careers and avenues of study within the fields of science, regardless of upper limits, the least of which should be gender. I believe that when we know better, we do better, as Maya Angelou said. That puts the responsibility on us to learn how. Resources like the UN website, or financially supporting organizations like SOL Collaborative are first steps. You get to decide what the next step for you will be.
