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The bumpy road towards gender equality

On May 17, representatives of the CAMART² communication and dissemination work package participated in an online experience exchange seminar “The bumpy road towards gender equality – on the underrepresentation of young women in STEM competitions and on how to support their engagement”. The event was organized by the Department of Physics Education Research of the Faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Optometry (FMOF), University of Latvia (UL) and Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (Kiel, Germany).

The key speakers of the seminar:
Dr. Stefan Petersen – research scientist and organizer of the German Physics Olympiad, IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Kiel
Dr. Anneke Steegh – research scientist, IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Kiel
Dr. Peter Wulff – research scientist, Physics Education Research Group at University of Potsdam.

The speakers introduced the participants with their findings on the reasons that make the girls stop pursuing the STEM related career. The researchers presented statistical reports and analyzed the ratio of participants at German national and world Physics, Chemistry and Biology Olympiads. It was highlighted that there is still a lot of factors to be studied in order to help girls to overcome the challenges they face.

Information about the seminar