National Chapter of OWSD launched in Venezuela
April 21, 2022
The 46th National Chapter of OWSD was established in Venezuela, in April 2022. The Venezuela National Chapter is the 11th in the Latin America and Caribbean region, all established since 2019. It is hosted by Red da la Calle, a social research foundation based in Caracas committed to promoting women and girls in science, among other social and scientific issues.
The first Executive Committee of the National Chapter is formed by:
"The participation of women in scientific careers in Venezuela was going on the right path from the 1950s towards the 1980s, however the gender gap in science has been wide and remains relevant today," said the Executive Committee. "In the last two decades, this trend has been reinforced, to a large extent by the implementation of social inclusion policies in the education and expansion of training enrollment at the university level...however, it is evident that there are still multiple mechanisms to hinder or discourage the participation of women in certain research careers, especially linked to the development of classical STEM disciplines. In this sense, deeply rooted socio-cultural aspects can be mentioned that are linked to the sexual division of labor and the gender roles that such division has established. Simultaneously, phenomena such as the so-called "glass ceiling" and "sticky floor" have a decisive impact on women lagging behind in terms of notoriety and representation of their contributions to national science. A priority for the OWSD Venezuela National Chapter will be to characterize this structural reality in greater depth, including aspects differing between the countryside and the city, and according to the areas of knowledge and other intersectional conditions (social class and race, among others)."
The Venezuela National Chapter plans to hold its first National Assembly in November 2022, and is already developing several projects including a compilation of inspiring stories of Venezuelan Women in contemporary science, construction of an open access repository of Venezuelan women researchers classified by fields of knowledge, and drafting agendas to encourage the participation of female students and girls in STEM fields.
At the time of establishment, OWSD had 25 members in the Venezuela National Chapter. Women scientists from or living in Venezuela who are not already members of OWSD can become members here. Members who are interested in joining the National Chapter are invited to contact owsdvenezuela [at] gmail.com.
