Southeast Asian Women in Science Research and Development

Globally, women's participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Research and Development (R&D) remains minimal. In June 2018, the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Statistics unit released data on women's participation in STEM R&D. The results showed that the global percentage of women's participation in STEM R&D was 29 percent. This STEM R&D refers to female professionals involved in developing concepts, theories, models, technical instruments, software, and operational methods.

In Southeast Asia, the percentage of women's involvement in R&D is 43.25%. Indonesia's figure stands at 30.6%. When ranked among Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia is 7th (UNESCO 'Women in Science' report, June 2018). Despite this, Indonesian women's participation in STEM education is relatively high. In some fields, women even dominate, exceeding 80 percent in Biology and Pharmacy.

Unfortunately, the number of Indonesian women participating drops significantly when entering the workforce. In the STEM industry, only two out of ten women choose a professional career, and only three out of ten women become STEM researchers.

Still within the Southeast Asian context, UNESCO Bangkok also conducted research on women's participation in STEM R&D. According to the report, the future of women in STEM is visible from their school years. Therefore, women's participation in STEM should begin in school. This includes motivating female students, showcasing female role models in STEM, and increasing the number of female teachers and researchers in STEM.