The situation of Canarian scientific women researchers: needs to improve
The inequality. Palpable during the day by day in our own reality, but also demonstrated by numerous studies registered globally in many of the vital aspects. One of those aspects is the academic and scientific field where the difference between women and men is abysmal.
One of the main causes of this happening is that the rising of children and domestic responsibilities fall mainly on women. Several studies have indicated that women receive less support when it comes to promoting than their male colleagues. This results in a scientific world where, while for men the main career objective is to reach a position of relevance, for women the goal becomes job stability.
Inequality in data
Only 20% of university professors in Spain are women. This figure is similar in the two Canarian universities. In addition, as recognized by the CRUE (Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities), the most precarious and less remunerated contracts are held mainly by women
In 2011, the White Paper on the Status of Women in Spanish Science published that it is 2.5 times more likely that a man will be promoted to a univerity professor; or that a man with children is 4 times more likely to advance in the scientific career than a woman with children with the same curriculum.
Despite these figures, measures to alleviate this situation have not been carried out. However, the proportion of women scientists in positions of relevance is increasing, although this growth is so slow that in order to achieve total parity between men and women in the scientific field, more than 100 years have to pass.
The situation of women scientists in the Canary Islands
In the Canary Islands, the situation of women in the scientific and academic field is not far from the Spanish average. However, during the past year there have been several events to claim gender equality in the research activity.
One of them was the I Editatón de Mujeres Científicas Canarias in Wikipedia held at the Elder Museum of Science. The main objective of the meeting was to introduce Canarian students to the existence of women who throughout history have contributed decisively with their work to the improvement of society.
The event was attended by Catalina Ruiz Pérez, Professor of Applied Physics at the University of La Laguna and the only woman awarded with the Canary Islands Research and Innovation Award (2017). If it serves as data, the jury that awarded him the prize, also made up of researchers, was made up of 6 men and one woman. Exactly 14.3%.
Another clear exponent of Canarian science is Carolina Martínez Pulido, member of the Executive Committee of the Biophysics Society, the most important international scientific organization in this field and formed by more than 9,000 members. O Teresa Giráldez, tenured professor in the Department of Vegetal Biology, Plant Physiology Area of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of La Laguna (ULL). Her research is focused on the protagonism and contributions of women in the Biological Sciences.
The list of Canarian scientists, professors and researchers is wide: María Victoria Marzol Jaén, María Soledad Izquierdo López, Julia Mirza Rosca, Yolanda Arencibia Santana, Juana Magdalena Santana Casiano, Pino Caballero Ruiz, Beatriz González López-Varcárcel, María del Carmen Betancourt and Molina and María Luisa Garayzábal Medley). It is time to begin to value the names of these researchers at schools, not only on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), so that equality in this field is not reach within a hundred years.
