Women and Girls: The Backbone Transforming Global Science

On this day, February 11th, the world unites its voices to celebrate a beacon of progress and hope: the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

This date was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 with a clear and urgent purpose: to break one of the most entrenched glass ceilings. That of the scientific and technological disciplines.

Its creation responded to compelling evidence: the profound gender gap that for centuries has excluded women and girls from the spaces where the future is shaped. This is not an empty celebration, but rather an instrument of visibility and pressure to accelerate historic change.

Far from being a mere commemoration, this day has become a powerful reminder of how talent. When nurtured and freed from barriers, transforms entire societies. Globally, we have witnessed a silent but unstoppable revolution.

More and more girls see figures like physicist Andrea Ghez and biochemist Katalin Karikó as a possible path. Mentoring programs, visibility campaigns, and a slow but steady cultural shift are breaking down stereotypes. Demonstrating that ingenuity has no gender and that laboratories and algorithms thrive when built by diverse teams.

This wave of change is not just an act of justice. It is the best investment for a future where humanity’s challenges demand all available perspectives and creativity. In this encouraging landscape, Cuba shines brightly. Offering a tangible example of what can be achieved with political will and universal access.

The island proudly boasts one of the highest statistics on the planet. Women represent approximately 53% of its scientific workforce. An achievement resulting from decades of commitment to free, quality public education for all.

Also this commitment has allowed Cuban women not only to dream about science, but to actually do it. They are the cornerstone of cutting-edge sectors like biotechnology, where they have contributed to globally recognized achievements, such as their own vaccines. The Cuban model demonstrates that when economic barriers to accessing knowledge are eliminated, female talent flourishes naturally and powerfully.

It is an inspiring case that shows the world, especially the Latin American region. That it is possible to build a scientific ecosystem where women are not guests, but the backbone.

This celebration, therefore, is not only a recognition, but a projection of the future. A future that, following examples of inclusion and empowerment like this one, will be written by millions of girls who today, in classrooms around the world, already see themselves as the scientists, engineers, and discoverers of tomorrow.

Yenisel Elcea Olbine
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