Élaborer une politique publique pour une participation efficace des femmes aux domaines des STIM en Bolivie

In science, there are still obstacles that make it difficult for women to be part of the areas related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The low participation of women in these areas has deprived science and innovative solutions due to the lack of women’s contributions, gaze and their perspective. This project aims to identify the systematic barriers that limit the insertion, permanence, and promotion of women in STEM areas through the analysis of beliefs, cultural values, policies, and sociocultural and institutional practices that affect Bolivian’s educational and professional trajectories of women in these disciplines. It also intends to design a set of participation-focused institutional policies that aim to improve the capacity of the educational and research institutions under the study to reduce the gender gap in STEM areas and promote greater equality in five cities of Bolivia.

This project had three phases of execution. First the development of three investigations in five cities of Bolivia in which it was possible to identify and characterize the barriers that hinder women’s careers in the STEM fields. The second phase, which involves the participatory construction of a pilot project, was developed in the second year of the project. This collaborative process took place through the establishment of dialogue spaces for members of school and university communities in Santa Cruz de la Sierra allowing the construction of proposals that will contribute to the increase and strengthening of the participation of women in STEM fields. During the third year, three investigations were also carried out that allowed for reflection and visualization of the barriers and intersectionality that impede the development and advancement of women in the STEM area. With the results so far, it is intended to develop public policy proposals based on the scientific information obtained through the results attained from the research projects and the analysis and reflection of the impacts achieved with the implementation of the pilot project to be carried out on the second phase.