Women’s Empowerment Initiatives in Brazilian Universities…
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4.3.2 At the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Another initiative worth mentioning is the Girls in Science extension program at the
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). It has been an extension action by
the UFRGS Physics Institute since the end of 2013. In that university, the focus was
to attract girls to Science and Technology (S&T) careers and to encourage women
who have already chosen these careers to persist and become agents of change in the
scientific and technological development of Brazil. The main goals are traced from the
training of undergraduate students to disseminate Science and Technology through
Astronomy, Physics and Robotics in public schools. The “Girls in Science” at UFRGS
also aims to sensitize the academic community and the neediest communities about
the role of women in society, contributing to the elimination of gender stereotypes
(Brito et al. 2015).
The Girls in Science program shows relevance, considering that only 31% of
women are researchers in technology and exact sciences in Brazil (Open box of
Science 2020). In other words, women remain concentrated in some areas and almost
expressionless in others. At least in Brazil, especially in the Humanities area, there
are many more women than in the technological area, therefore, excluding them from
leadership positions in the labor market (Barbosa and Lima 2013).
In addition to the low representation of women in the Exact Sciences, another
factor that deserves to be highlighted is that as they progress in their careers, the
percentage of women tends to decrease. This effect is called the Scissors Effect
because it cuts women out of the career as it progresses (Agrello and Garg 2009).
Among the actions implemented some can be pointed out: (1) science workshops
and gender discussions in public schools; (2) continuing education of undergraduate
students in what concerns both the learning of Astronomy and Physics existing in the
workshops and the awareness of gender issues; (3) training for teachers at the partner
school; (4) a robotics course at a public school; (5) film production to disseminate the
presence of women in S&T careers, creating female models in areas where women
are underrepresented entitled “Lugar de Mulher” and (6) UFRGS campus opening
and classroom activities for elementary and high school students (Brito et al. 2015).
The production of the films “Lugar de Mulher”, mentioned above, has maintained a
partnership with UFRGS-TV since 2014, promoting interviews with younger women,
still in the beginning of their careers to encourage the areas of science and technology.
Still, primary schools are places where first expectations for the future and career
planning are built. Thus, science and gender workshops in public schools are one of
the main current activities of the program. The objective is to sensitize the whole
society about gender issues and encourage students of both sexes to like science.
The Girls in Science program argues that the participation of women in research
in exact science areas is important because expanding the debate on the participation
of women in science also means thinking about a different science, inspired and
renewed by life experiences historically excluded from scientific and technological
production.
In this sense, for undergraduate students, the program invests in holding biweekly
meetings to discuss issues related to gender disparity. In these meetings, roundtable
445
4.3.2 At the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Another initiative worth mentioning is the Girls in Science extension program at the
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). It has been an extension action by
the UFRGS Physics Institute since the end of 2013. In that university, the focus was
to attract girls to Science and Technology (S&T) careers and to encourage women
who have already chosen these careers to persist and become agents of change in the
scientific and technological development of Brazil. The main goals are traced from the
training of undergraduate students to disseminate Science and Technology through
Astronomy, Physics and Robotics in public schools. The “Girls in Science” at UFRGS
also aims to sensitize the academic community and the neediest communities about
the role of women in society, contributing to the elimination of gender stereotypes
(Brito et al. 2015).
The Girls in Science program shows relevance, considering that only 31% of
women are researchers in technology and exact sciences in Brazil (Open box of
Science 2020). In other words, women remain concentrated in some areas and almost
expressionless in others. At least in Brazil, especially in the Humanities area, there
are many more women than in the technological area, therefore, excluding them from
leadership positions in the labor market (Barbosa and Lima 2013).
In addition to the low representation of women in the Exact Sciences, another
factor that deserves to be highlighted is that as they progress in their careers, the
percentage of women tends to decrease. This effect is called the Scissors Effect
because it cuts women out of the career as it progresses (Agrello and Garg 2009).
Among the actions implemented some can be pointed out: (1) science workshops
and gender discussions in public schools; (2) continuing education of undergraduate
students in what concerns both the learning of Astronomy and Physics existing in the
workshops and the awareness of gender issues; (3) training for teachers at the partner
school; (4) a robotics course at a public school; (5) film production to disseminate the
presence of women in S&T careers, creating female models in areas where women
are underrepresented entitled “Lugar de Mulher” and (6) UFRGS campus opening
and classroom activities for elementary and high school students (Brito et al. 2015).
The production of the films “Lugar de Mulher”, mentioned above, has maintained a
partnership with UFRGS-TV since 2014, promoting interviews with younger women,
still in the beginning of their careers to encourage the areas of science and technology.
Still, primary schools are places where first expectations for the future and career
planning are built. Thus, science and gender workshops in public schools are one of
the main current activities of the program. The objective is to sensitize the whole
society about gender issues and encourage students of both sexes to like science.
The Girls in Science program argues that the participation of women in research
in exact science areas is important because expanding the debate on the participation
of women in science also means thinking about a different science, inspired and
renewed by life experiences historically excluded from scientific and technological
production.
In this sense, for undergraduate students, the program invests in holding biweekly
meetings to discuss issues related to gender disparity. In these meetings, roundtable