A robot welcoming guests through facial recognition, demonstrations of industrial robotic arms, and immersion in the metaverse through Oculus were part of the launch of the “Mujeres que todo lo pueden” campaign and website, which took place this Tuesday at the Chilean-German School in Ñuñoa. The event brought together various women from the public and private sectors linked to the STEM world (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
The initiative, promoted by the Luksic Foundation along with Inacap, Duoc UC, AIEP, Santo Tomás, Microsoft, Laboratoria, Tremendas, Genias, Fundación Chile, Kodea, Antofagasta Minerals, CCU, ENEX, FCAB, SAAM, CSAV, and Women In Mining, aims to encourage more women in Chile to pursue STEM careers. This is because these fields offer greater and better opportunities in terms of employability, higher salaries, and professional and personal development.
The numbers speak for themselves, highlighting the gaps and the importance of encouraging more women to take an interest in these subjects. According to the Ministry of Education, in STEM university programs, only 3 out of every 10 students are women. Zooming in on the technical and professional world, the situation is even more critical: in Chile, there are approximately 50,000 people studying STEM careers at the technical level, and only 12% of them are women.
“Promoting gender equity in these fields is not only to improve the quality of life for these women but also to drive progress, strengthen the workforce, and enhance innovation in our country. It is important to have women creating, researching, programming, solving problems; their perspective brings a complementary focus, and their contributions are undeniable,” emphasized Isabella Luksic, General Manager of the Luksic Foundation.
During the launch, the General Manager of the Luksic Foundation announced a new call for applications for 100 maintenance scholarships for women from different regions of Chile, enrolled in STEM careers at the technical level in professional institutes or technical training centers. This scholarship call is being made in partnership with INACAP, Duoc UC, AIEP, and Santo Tomás. Each of the 100 beneficiaries will receive a monthly scholarship of $150,000, for the duration of the formal course, giving them autonomy to decide how to use the benefit according to their needs.
Regarding the “Mujeres que todo lo pueden” initiative, the rector of INACAP, Lucas Palacios, commented that “it is a tremendous pride to participate in this initiative that highlights the women who have dared to enter this world, which, as we should all know, has no gender. At INACAP, we provide a 50% tuition fee scholarship to all new female students enrolled in our Technical Training Center (CFT) this year, and therefore, this additional support is in line with what we believe: that we must take concrete actions so that everyone has the opportunity to develop their talents.”
For her part, Loreto Ferrari, rector of AIEP, stated that “it is essential to prioritize the inclusion of women in STEM careers to stimulate the development of our country and ensure the well-being of future generations. Only 7% of female graduates come from STEM fields, and this reality highlights the urgent need to adopt concrete measures to promote female participation in these fields.”
Carlos Díaz, rector of Duoc UC, emphasized that “it is very important to play a leading role in designing and implementing various actions that encourage more women to study technical and professional careers, especially those that have traditionally had higher male participation. Undoubtedly, the scholarships that some of our students will have access to will be a contribution to continue improving.”
Along the same lines, Juan Carlos Erdozáin, academic vice-rector of IP-CFT of Santo Tomás, stated: “We value this type of initiative that promotes the study of highly male-dominated careers and is in line with our institutional efforts to advance transversely in innovations related to teaching with a gender perspective.”
Inspiring Women
The event was attended by technical and professional students, teachers, authorities from educational institutions, and representatives of organizations promoting this initiative. Also, various leaders and influencers in STEM attended, such as electronic engineer Daniela Sáez, Elisa Torres, founder of Girls in Quantum, and Ana Salazar, president of Women in Mining, who participated in a panel and open microphone session to address the challenges in education in these areas.
“Women can create any type of technology. Sometimes we limit ourselves, but it is our responsibility to integrate into these fields from any area. For example, if we are excluded from programming, we will have technology with gender biases. Everyone can be agents of change to motivate girls and boys in STEM because there is a lot of talent in our country, and we must nurture it,” said Daniela Sáez during the panel.
Through its website www.mujeresquetodolopueden.cl, the campaign disseminates and highlights women who are developing in the STEM field, gathering inspiring testimonials, relevant figures, as well as news and opportunities for women interested in these areas.
