Women remain significantly underrepresented in science and technology despite advances in education, the UN secretary-general has said.
Lack of funding, gender stereotypes and discriminatory workplaces continue to hold women back in STEM careers.
The absence of women in tech leadership is embedding bias into digital tools and weakening responses to global challenges, according to the UN.
Women and girls continue to face systemic barriers in science and technology despite improvements in access to education, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has said, calling for renewed efforts to close gender gaps in research and innovation.
In a message issued to mark the upcoming International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, 2026, Guterres said equality in the sciences was “essential for humanity’s progress”, but warned that women in STEM careers were still being held back by a lack of research funding, persistent gender stereotypes and discriminatory workplace practices.
Globally, women make up only one in three researchers, he said, highlighting what he described as a “pronounced” gap in technology-related fields. According to the secretary-general, women account for just 26 per cent of the workforce in data and artificial intelligence, and only 12 per cent in cloud computing.
Guterres said the underrepresentation of women, particularly in leadership roles, was not only an equity issue but also a practical one. The absence of female voices in the development of digital technologies, he warned, was embedding bias into tools that increasingly shape everyday life, leading to “real-world harm”.
Excluding women from science weakens the world’s ability to respond to urgent global challenges, including climate change, public health crises and space security, Guterres said. Addressing these problems, he added, requires ensuring that girls can envision a future in STEM and that women scientists are able to build and sustain successful careers.
The secretary-general said the United Nations was supporting women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through initiatives such as scholarships, internships and mentorship programmes across a range of disciplines.
“From advancing renewable energy to preventing the next pandemic, our future hinges on unlocking as much human talent as possible,” Guterres said, urging governments, institutions and employers to act. Ensuring that women and girls can realise their scientific ambitions, he added, is essential both for their rights and for the wider benefit of society.