On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, three international groups—the International Science Council (ISC), the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES)—published an analysis of gender equality across national science organisations. The research used data from 136 scientific organisations and a survey of nearly 600 scientists.
The report shows women made up around 19% of science academy members in 2025, up from 12% in 2015. Despite this change, progress is limited: only one in five academies was chaired by a woman and almost half had no women as vice-presidents or co-chairs. The authors describe the decade-long rise as "very limited" and say there was no progress in the last five years. Informal networks still shape who is proposed for leadership, and women were 2.5 times more likely than men to report discrimination or harassment, while expressing less confidence in mechanisms to address misconduct.
Lead author Léa Nacache noted regional variation but no region was uniformly better or worse; academies with the highest proportions of women members (30–39%) appear across different regions, notably in parts of Latin America and Asia and the Pacific. The report highlights that some organisations have made measurable progress, whereas others face persistent barriers.
The authors recommend that gender equality be built into governance, budgets and strategy with clear plans, accountability and funding. IAP coordinator Peter McGrath said: "Gender equality must be built into the DNA of scientific organisations." The report specifies practical steps such as:
- embedding equality in statutes
- assigning responsibility to governing bodies
- creating dedicated committees
- funding sustained activities
- reporting progress regularly
Only around two thirds of academies have gender-related policy documents, just over half have run initiatives, and fewer than 10% have a dedicated budget. A separate study of more than 100 female scientists in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Peru reported networks that sustain sexual and psychological harassment, exclusion and penalties for motherhood; Carolina Espinosa Luna said, "Abuse is more than just an interpersonal act." Other research cited a PLOS Biology study of more than 36 million articles that found papers by women had review times up to 15% longer.
Difficult words
- governance — system of rules and leadership in organisations
- statute — written law or formal rule for organisationsstatutes
- embed — to include something firmly within an organisationembedding
- accountability — responsibility for actions and decisions
- discrimination — unfair treatment of people because of identity
- harassment — unwanted behaviour that intimidates or harms
- dedicated — used for a single clear purpose
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which actions recommended in the report do you think would most quickly improve gender equality in scientific organisations? Explain why.
- How might informal networks and the reported harassment affect women’s careers and leadership opportunities in science? Give examples.
- Do you agree that gender equality should be included in budgets and governance documents? Why or why not, and what challenges could organisations face?
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