L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science // Dr Mahkdokht Shaibani and Dr Kirsty Nash

11.25.2021 - By Sarah Davidson Play

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I’m so glad that you’ve all been loving our running miniseries and, as promised, I’m thrilled to have a second one for you kicking off today. This one has changed my perspectives and extended my knowledge just as much, but in a completely different way and in relation to completely different pathways to joy but that’s exactly the essence of seizing your yay – it looks different for everyone.

The thing is, so often you don’t know what you want your future to look like until you can visualise it or see it represented out in the world, but lack of exposure can really hinder people in finding their purpose because they simply never know it exists. Enter, one of the biggest challenges facing women in science or the industries broadly referred to as STEMM – science, technology, engineer mathematics and medicine.

Today, only 28% of researchers are women with less than 20% making up the most senior leadership positions, and only 3% of Scientific Nobel Prizes have been awarded to women. Numerous studies have found that women in STEMM fields publish less, are paid less for their research and do not progress as far as men in their careers.

There are so many different factors contributing to this disparity, but one is definitely the misconceptions surrounding what scientists actually do and the industries they can end up working in. Beauty and cosmetics, for example, is not the first industry you’d connect with say, engineering or maths, but our partner in this miniseries, L’Oréal, was founded by scientists over 100 years ago – without science L’Oréal simply wouldn’t exist.

Which is why, for over the past 20 years, the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation and UNESCO have been committed to women in science, to increase the number of women working in scientific research. In 1998, L’Oréal and UNESCO founded the For Women in Science program to promote and highlight the critical importance of ensuring greater participation of women in science.

Each year, the program recognises the achievements of exceptional early-career female scientists and awards them with Fellowships to help further their research. And I’m DELIGHTED to bring you this miniseries showcasing the five 2021 Fellowship recipients and the ground-breaking, mind-blowing work they’re doing highlighting how diverse, dynamic and deeply impactful pathways in science can be.

I’ve emerged kind of wanting to move into science myself and wish there had been programs like this when I was younger. Wonderfully, L’Oréal’s work also includes a Girls in Science program in partnership with UNSW and Melbourne University where these fellows are connected with girls in school to empower young women to forge careers in STEMM and inspire them to be part of cultural change in the industry.

Unfortunately, the in-person Girls in Science events were unable to go ahead, but fortunately, this miniseries has taken their place so that it’s not just schoolgirls whose minds can be opened by these five fascinating women and the way they’re changing the world. Even if you don’t aspire to a career in STEMM, I was captivated by these amazing humans and hope that you all are too.