International Day Of Women And Girls In Science 2026: History And Indian STEM Leaders

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026:

On February 11, the world will observe the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The special occasion celebrates the contributions of women and girls in the scientific progression of our planet. The day honours these instrumental scientists and calls for a mend on their underrepresentation in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

As science and technology continue to play an integral role in the world’s socio-economic growth, we need to close down the existing gender gap in personnel at task responsible for greater handling of various challenges, including climate change, healthcare crises and unforeseen disasters.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026: History and Significance

The origins of the International

Day of Women and Girls in Science can be traced back to the rise of the noble push for women’s empowerment across the world. As the 2011 UN General Assembly extensively debated the matter and identified lack of proper female representation in STEM as a major issue, it formally established an International Day of Women and Girls in Science back on February 11, 2015.

The United Nations General Assembly observed in its December 22, 2015, resolution that women comprised only 30 per cent of researchers worldwide. The official data from UNESCO later became a springboard for the official introduction of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The date of February 11 was chosen by the UN as it aligns with the day in 1903 when Marie Curie became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for her contributions to physics.

Playing a part in gender equality and women’s empowerment, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science calls for equal access to opportunities in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026 Theme

Ahead of the 2026 International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the UN has come up with the theme of ‘From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap’.

The theme reinforces the UN’s call for the eradication of biased representation and greater encouragement to female scientists, engineers, tech experts and mathematicians.

Back in 2021, a UNESCO report suggested that women hold only 33 per cent of the world’s leading research positions.

Indian Girls Leading the STEM Revolution

Breaking gender-based norms and barriers while also inspiring the next generation of girls to take up leading roles in STEM, these Indian women symbolised the success of International Day of Women and Girls in Science as a concept in 2025:

1. Dr Rajula Srivastava: An assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she won the 2025 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers in Mathematics Prize.
2. Dr Divya Karnad: A marine conservationist and associate professor at Ashoka University, India, Dr Karnad was honoured as the 2025 WINGS Woman of Discovery for her works in sustainable fisheries and protection of marine biodiversity.
3. Amrita Krishnamoorthy: Her organisation, Stepping Stones Centre, promotes Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) to support children with autism spectrum disorder. She was honoured with the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025 in the United Kingdom.
4. Jhillika Trisal: A recipient of the Unlock Her Future Prize 2025, Trisal’s startup Cognitii supports high-tech school learning in the age of AI.
5. Rashi Jain: A researcher at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, she helped identify ‘Alaknanda’ – a galaxy similar to the Milky Way – using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
6. Lakshmi Kalyani Chinthala: Her work in research at the Golden Gate University, Chinthala, helped develop Smart DaaS, which uses learning and edge-AI biosensing to detect HIV biomarkers such as viral RNA and p24 antigen.