Science and Technology: gender gaps in Europe and Latin America

Abstract

In spite of the efforts made during the last decades with a view to reducing the gender gap in terms of participation in disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), large inequalities remain. This work is the result of the Postdoctoral Research Project at the University of California Davis “Institutional transformation to build and sustain a diverse community of university students in STEM” within the Fulbright Program of the United States Government (FMECD-ST-2018) and deals to describe the gender gap in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the Caribbean, Latin American and European, as well as what educational policies are implemented in this regard. Reducing the gap between men and women in participation in STEM disciplines is such an important issue that from the area of education in the university field we must contribute to develop it and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN in September 2015. Assessing the gender gap and its limitations in the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe allows channeling possible solutions to achieve higher levels of equity in access to science, technology and innovation.