Be bold - female scientists urge young generation of women

Arunima Ray, a research group leader at Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Germany, said a lot of people have been aware that there exists no difference in the ability in science between the two genders.

"However, girls are taught to do more in cooperation instead of doing things by themselves from a young age," she said. "I also encourage women to think more about themselves and have a bigger ego."

Citing the 2024 Report on Gender Equality in the European Union, which showed that women remained underrepresented in STEM fields, particularly in ICT and senior positions, Daniela Rhodes, an emeritus group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge in the United Kingdom, said young women professionals in these sectors should expose inequalities and unfair processes if they spot or experience them.

"We should highlight good practices, improve the working environment, and implement supportive policies to help close the gender gap in the science field," said Rhodes, who is also a recipient of the 2023 WLA Prize in Life Science or Medicine.

"We should give the young, both men and women, the freedom to do the best science," she said.