International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024
On 11 February, we celebrate the 9th International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This day is a reminder that women and girls play a crucial role in science and technology and that their participation should be strengthened. We are very proud to recognise the invaluable contributions of women within the IMMEDIATE consortium. Their brilliance, passion and commitment are a beacon of inspiration and drive our collective pursuit of scientific excellence and innovation.
Read the statement from our Deputy Project Coordinator and task leader, Chotima Böttcher :
"Theoretically, science is genderless and has no nationality. However, in the past, women and girls had to fight much harder than men and boys for their right to become scientists or even choose their own path. Although now, in 2024, I no longer have to work as hard as Rahel Hirsch (the first female professor in Prussia, 1870-1953) to prove that my physical and mental abilities meet the requirements of a scientist, it was not always easy to combat the prejudices and judgements that still exist about women and girls in science.
Also, as a mother and wife, I always have to be flexible and creative to organise my day and maintain a balance between work and family life. However, every scientist also knows that working in science is a never-ending story. You will never be able to finish your work as there are always new questions following an answer and usually at least 50% of your experiments fail. But for me, science has always been my work and my life, which makes it easier for me to fight my way through those desperate days. I am also grateful to my family and colleagues for their understanding and support in my life as a scientist so far.
As a girl from a small village in southern Thailand who became the leader of a research team at Charité in Germany, I have worked hard for my scientific career, but I finally proved that science can be genderless and stateless. It should be just rationality that will be finally counted in science. Let´s continue paving our way in science for current and next generations so that everyone has access to science no matter the gender, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity they have. I encourage everyone, especially women and girls, to be brave and choose their own way of life, although it seems to be impossible at first sight."
