Pathway to change: towards gender justice in STEM research in Africa (GeJuSTA)

 

This project is part of a cohort of seven projects that were selected following the call for proposals to the Gender in STEM (GIST) Research Initiative. The aim of the cohort is to increase the contribution of science to gender equality. It seeks to advance women’s leadership and participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and to increase gender analysis in STEM research.

Underrepresentation of women and lack of gender analysis in STEM research requires a holistic approach. This project focuses particularly on information technology, data science, human-computer interaction, and information and communication technologies for development in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia. It will gather evidence of underrepresentation, barriers, and support factors through surveys and interviews. It will also “reframe” STEM by focusing on societal relevance of data science and learning from the presence of women in various STEM fields.

The project will develop a problem-centred curriculum and locally appropriate new pedagogies that integrate arts into STEM. The researchers will advance the use of gender analysis in STEM research, particularly design approaches in the above fields, beginning by systematically mapping the use/non-use of gender analysis for research, education, and training in design. They will develop and pilot a new gender-just design methodology, which will include working with women and gender-diverse participants. The project will create and maintain a support network for women researchers in universities in these sectors and will also develop a structured mentorship scheme.