Government launches Gender Equality Policy for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, as well as the Regional Alliance for the Digitalization of Women in Latin America

According to the 2020 Gender Equality in Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Report, only 28% of people engaged in careers related to science and engineering were women. Furthermore, women’s participation in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is only 5%, according to information provided by the Chilean Association of Information Technology Companies. 

Given this scenario, Women and Gender Equality Minister Mónica Zalaquett; Women and Gender Equality Undersecretary María José Abud; Telecommunications Undersecretary Francisco Moreno; Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Undersecretary Carolina Torrealba; and Foreign Relations Undersecretary Carolina Valdivia, met this morning to present the National Gender Equality Policy for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, as well as the Regional Alliance for the Digitalization of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

These initiatives aim to remove the barriers that impede girls and women from taking part in science, technology, knowledge and innovation and to increase their participation in work related to research and development. Other objectives include the construction of a scientific, academic and technological system with equal opportunities and without gender violence, closing the gap in access to technology and digital skills, and eradicating gender violence and online discrimination. 

“There is no doubt that the pandemic has accelerated the digital revolution and that new technologies are now a necessity in all aspects of our lives. That is why it is crucial that we close the multiple gender gaps that women and girls face in access, skill development and the safe use of technologies. We must also promote their participation and leadership in the digital economy in order to avoid the opening of a new gap that could prevent our full and integral development. With these objectives in mind, we are promoting a robust, inter-ministerial agenda so that women are part of an inclusive digital transformation and are given an equal foundation from which to build a future where nothing is out of their reach,” stated Mónica Zalaquett, the Women and Gender Equality Minister. 

National Gender Equality Policy for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation 

The plan led by the Science Ministry establishes four objectives: “inclusive and protected education for children that provides skills for the future”; “inclusive, transformative and responsible Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation systems”; “a State committed to data, instruments, and policies for gender equality in Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation”; and “Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation to solve the impacts of the gender gap in our society.” 

In addition, the policy includes: 

• A “50/50 by 2030” action plan that will implement more than 30 steps, such as the creation of a scientific research program for boys and girls. 

• A fund of 10.5 billion Chilean pesos (US$ 13.822 million) to support institutional plans for universities to close their gender gaps in research. 

• A leadership program for women in academia; a fund of 2.25 billion Chilean pesos (US$ 2.962 million) for associative gender research. 

• 2.4 billion Chilean pesos (US$ 3.158 million) for technological development, associated with solving the impact of gender inequality in society. 

There will also be an annual publication of a Gender Equality in Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Report. This will be combined with the development of research to constantly analyze and monitor the progress of gender equality in Chile, among other things. 

Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Undersecretary Carolina Torrealba stressed that “closing the gender gap in science is a challenge for the country. With the announcement of this National Gender Equality Policy for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, we now have a concrete and well-defined roadmap to address it. This has been made possible thanks to an intense 20-month collaborative process, in which the participation of more than 1,800 people and institutions was systematized into real contributions. We will promote scientific curiosity, reflection and exploration in schools from an early age. We will strengthen universities so that they can close their gender gaps in research and development, through a competitive fund of 10.5 billion Chilean pesos, among other things. Of all the transformations that our system requires, this is perhaps the one that will have the greatest impact on knowledge generation and competitiveness in Chile.” 

The Telecommunications Undersecretary is also implementing initiatives, such as the Plan + Women in Telecommunications, where six of Chile’s main telecommunications companies will periodically participate in technical forums in order to help promote women’s occupational insertion in the industry. They have also worked alongside the Women and Gender Equality Ministry to develop different initiatives to close the digital divide for women. 

Regional Alliance for the Digitalization of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean 

The initiative, led by Chile at the regional level, already has the support of Mexico, Uruguay and Costa Rica. Its objectives are to promote collective, regional and multisectoral actions to close the gender gap in access, skill development and ICT use for women, as well as to promote their full participation in the digital economy. To this end, a collaborative virtual platform is being created to offer digital skills courses to 3.8 million women throughout Latin America and the Caribbean via Microsoft training programs. This will provide economic opportunities to one million women throughout the region over the next three years. 

In addition to promoting programs to improve women’s access to digital technologies, the platform seeks to incorporate a marketplace and provide financial support and education to women entrepreneurs, with technical support from ECLAC and UN Women.

Telecommunications Undersecretary Francisco Moreno explained, “keeping in mind the deployment of the new 5G network and the 4.0 economy, we must move forward with conviction towards an inclusive digital transformation in order to achieve the massification of the opportunities and challenges that new technologies will generate. In addition to planning for the new network to contribute to Chile’s overall productivity, we are especially seeking to attract women who stand out in the innovation, technology and telecommunications industry. For this reason, as a way of promoting research and experimentation on 5G, IoT, big data and machine learning, SUBTEL has launched various experimental 5G Campuses throughout Chile. This initiative already has 17 academic centers and two technological research centers throughout the country.” 

Meanwhile, Foreign Relations Undersecretary Carolina Valdivia noted, “the actions that Chile is taking regarding gender equality constitute a very significant contribution. They align with what has already been approved in our diverse international commitments. Today, with the launch of the Regional Alliance for the Digitalization of Women, we are taking on an important role in Latin America. However, we have also paid special attention to incorporating a gender dimension into other multilateral spaces, such as COP25, APEC and the Pacific Alliance, in areas such as the environment, innovation, science and technology. It is an essential element of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and has formed part of our political and trade dialogue with various countries. In this regard, we appreciate the opportunity that the Generation Equality Forum has given us to keep making a joint effort to achieve actions that have a real impact on women’s lives.”  

The National Gender Equality Policy for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation was created between January 2020 and May 2021, through a process that involved the extensive participation of academia, civil society and key stakeholders via public consultation, as well as dozens of international working table sessions and contributions. The complete document can be viewed at www.minciencia.gob.cl/genero/. 

The Regional Alliance for the Digitalization of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean was launched in February 2021 within the framework of the Regional Conference on Women, of which Chile held the presidency. The collaborative digital platform is expected to be launched during the second half of the year.