- In Peru, women represent 31.86% of registered scientific researchers, according to the National Register of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (Renaset).
- To value the contribution of women in these fields, Statkraft Peru, a leading European renewable energy company, offers scholarships to young men studying STEM careers.
Every year, April 10 is celebrated as World Science and Technology Day, an appropriate date to reflect on the importance of engaging women in these fields, the contribution they make to solving the most pressing challenges facing society and to learn how we can close the large gender gap that still exists.
In Peru, for example, women represent only 31.86% of the total number of registered scientific researchers. That is, out of every three scientists, only one is a woman, according to the National Registry of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (Renaset).
To narrow the gender gap in the country, Including more women and minorities in science and technology is essential to ensuring diversity of perspectives and approaches in research. Along these lines, Statkraft Peru, a leading European renewable energy company, has the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Scholarship Programme, an initiative that awards scholarships to young people studying this type of career to increase female participation in the energy sector and enhance their professional development. .
This is the case of Noelia Santana, 23 years old. She graduated from the Energy Engineering program at UTEC and is one of the first recipients of STEM scholarships. He has joined Statkraft as the Apprentice After a year and a half, he is currently working as a business development analyst. “There is a lot of work to be done. The big challenge, in principle, is for more women to study technical professions, and secondly, to prove that we are trained and empowered, just like men, to do this kind of work, and to prove that there is no Gender in the professions,” notes the engineer.
Through the program, university students have the possibility to continue their studies with a half scholarship, the ease of doing internships, obtaining mentoring and participating in challenging projects that allow them to enhance their knowledge, form a strategic vision and pursue a career path.
Currently, there are many initiatives such as the Statkraft Perú initiative, and as more companies join, the gender gap will gradually be reduced and women’s contribution will be appreciated in all areas of society.
