Empowering Women and Girls in Science to Achieve Gender Equality
Female scientists are often overlooked, if not dismissed, despite their tremendous contribution to groundbreaking discoveries and research. According to UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030, only 33.3% of researchers are women and they hardly receive any recognition for the remarkable work they truly deserve. On top of that, UNESCO also reported that less than 4% of Nobel Prizes awardees are women.
With the hope of a more equal and just world, especially in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, United Nations declared 11 February as an International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This is to recognize that the contribution of women and girls in STEM is imperative to achieve gender equality. Therefore, women and girls shall receive full access to science, technology, and innovation, regardless of their age. On this day, we would like to highlight three Indonesian brilliant women scientists whose contributions have helped the development of science.
Adi Utarini
Adi Utarini has extensively supported the success of the World Mosquito Program in Yogyakarta. She and over 100 other scientists have gathered and conducted research on the dengue mosquitoes for 10 years, resulting in the discovery of Wolbachia bacteria that can combat the dengue virus in tropical mosquitoes. This finding is subsequently applied by Adi and other scientists by spreading Wolbachia eggs across Sleman, Yogyakarta. As a country with a high risk to be exposed to dengue fever, Adi's contribution is especially powerful to diminishing dengue mosquitoes in Indonesia. This achievement has led Adi to be acknowledged and mentioned as the Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2021.
Adi Utarini (Courtesy of Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi, Riset, dan Teknologi)
Rahayu Oktaviani
Rahayu, commonly called Ayu, is a primate conservationist who has focused on studying silvery gibbon (owa jawa) since 2014. Her passion for silvery gibbon was "brought to life" in 2020 when she established a non-profit organization, Yayasan Konservasi Ekosistem Alam Nusantara (KIARA), that centers on the conservation of silvery gibbon and forest ecosystem. Through KIARA, Ayu aims to build a more holistic approach to the conservation effort of silvery gibbon. Not only does Ayu drive KIARA to focus on studying and researching silvery gibbon, but she also aims to widen KIARA's focal points to equipping local communities with the knowledge and tools on conservation through education and community empowerment. The WEA Indonesia Grassroot Accelerator in 2020 has connected Ayu with fellow women leaders and gave her valuable insights to understand deeper about community engagement which helps her, especially on KIARA's community empowerment effort.
Rahayu Oktaviani
Sri Auditya Sari
Another woman environmental leader who graduated from the WEA Indonesia Grassroot Accelerator in 2021 is Sri Auditya Sari or usually called Tya. She is keen on science and also passionate about pursuing inclusiveness in science communication. Along with some of her friends, Tya established Aptaguna Padu Indonesia (API) Institute to realize her passion. API unlocks the unaccessible scientific research to the public legally by conducting an open dialogue with the scientists on their findings. In essence, API bridges over a complex and technical knowledge of science and makes it understandable to the public. Not only does API help fellow scientists to disseminate their work, but API is also the instigator in Indonesian science communication with the ambition to enhance scientific knowledge at the grass-root level. But, Tya's work does not stop there. She was also involved in an empowerment project for local cocoa farmers in Bali. This project helps them export their products under the Balini Organic brand. In addition to that, the project also trains them to use non-food grade cocoa as a material in body care products. This added value of cocoa has been eyed by YAGI Natural, a health and beauty care business that was owned by Farhaniza Farhan, a WEA leader whom Tya met during WEA Indonesia Grassroot Accelerator. Networking during the WEA program has undoubtedly helped Tya in implementing her projects and gave her the insights and knowledge she needs.
Sri Auditya Sari
We believe that with empowerment and equal access to science, technology, and innovation, women and girls can thrive and design viable solutions to overcome science issues while simultaneously promoting gender equality.