AT6-2: Women in Geosciences: participation, representation, perspectives and strategies to close the gender gap

Conveners: Tania Villaseñor, Universidad de O’Higgins. Francisca Mallea Lillo, University of Adelaide. Fernanda Álvarez-Amado, Universidad de Concepción. Daniela Parra Encalada, Universidad de Chile. Millarca Valenzuela, Universidad Católica del Norte. Camila Zúñiga, Universidad de Chile. Valentina Flores Aqueveque, Universidad de Chile. Diana Comte, Universidad de Chile. Catalina Morales-Yáñez, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción. Cindy Mora Stock, University of Western Ontario. Alejandra Serey, Universidad de O’Higgins. tania.villasenor@uoh.cl; francisca.mallea@ug.uchile.cl

Description: In the last decade, significant progress has been achieved to reach gender equality; nevertheless, in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM), this gap is still significant. According to UNESCO, in Latin America women only represent 28.4% of people in these areas. In Geosciences, this gap is even wider: only 1 out of 5 countries has achieved gender equality. Since the feminist movements of 2018 the gender gap subject has been installed, but the comprehensive advancement of women’s position in geosciences can be overshadowed by cultural, social, and structural reasons in our society, difficulting the entrance and successful development of women in this discipline. 

This session aims to open a transversal conversation about the participation and development of women in Geosciences. We invite authors to submit abstracts that discuss the experiences of women throughout all its stages, the gender gap in the different areas of Earth Science, as well as strategies, challenges and initiatives for their inclusion and development towards an equal geoscientific community.