ジェンダー・キャリア開発

12:15 〜 12:30

[ZE_VRU11-01] Gender-neutral Scientific Leadership in Bolivia: Evidence-Based Insights on Women’s Participation Across the STEM Education and Research Pipeline

*Natalia Montellano Duran^1,2, Jose Alberto Limpias Hurtado¹, Brenda Mariola Cruz Benavent¹, Narel Paniagua-Zambrana² (1. Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo (Bolivia), 2. Organization for Women in Science in Developing Countries (Italy))

キーワード：

STEM、Women education、Role Model、Bolivia、Women Career Development

To provide evidence-based insights into women’s participation across the STEM education and research pipeline in Bolivia and to frame gender-neutral scientific leadership as a structural requirement for strengthening national scientific systems in low-income, multicultural contexts. A mixed-methods national diagnostic was conducted between 2024 and 2025 by IDRC, OWSD–UNESCO, and the OWSD Bolivia National Chapter. The study combined quantitative surveys (n = 1,962) across three stages; secondary education, university STEM programs (including dropouts), and professional practice; with qualitative interviews, focus groups, and institutional and policy mapping.Women represent approximately 50% of tertiary education enrollment and over 60% of graduates nationally; however, they account for only 34.2% of STEM students and graduates. STEM degrees represent just 22.2% of total tertiary graduates overall. At the postgraduate level, STEM programs remain scarce and weakly systematized, with limited gender-disaggregated data. In contrast, women comprise 52.6% of researchers and over 43% of the STEM-related workforce, revealing a mismatch between education pathways, labor insertion, and leadership trajectories. Women are predominantly represented in modern and interdisciplinary STEM areas such as biological sciences, biotechnology, environmental sciences, health-related technologies, and data-intensive research.Persistent barriers include limited mentorship and role models, uneven access to resources, cultural stereotypes, and weak institutional data systems, particularly outside major urban centers and at advanced career stages.Gender-neutral scientific leadership must be data-driven, institutional, and policy-oriented. In Bolivia, producing reliable national evidence is a foundational step toward redefining STEM role models, strengthening scientific governance, and ensuring inclusive and sustainable national scientific development.