NiñaSTEM
The NiñaSTEM Initiative is an OECD effort to increase the number of girls in STEM careers in Latin America and the Caribbean. The initiative includes educational activities with a gender perspective to increase girls' interest in STEM careers and raise awareness among the educational community about its importance and the negative impact discriminatory gender stereotypes has on the educational and labour trajectory of women.
The OECD NiñaSTEM Initiative supports countries through studies, workshops, conferences and motivational talks, in partnership with LAC countries and partner institutions in the framework of the OECD LAC Regional Programme.
See how the OECD NiñaSTEM female mentorship initiative has been implemented by the Mexican Secretary of Public Education (SEP) and the Secretary of education of the Mexican State of Coahuila
Upcoming Events
- 29 September 2023: NiñaSTEM Teachers Workshop, Bogota, Colombia
Key moments
- 2022: The OECD Latin America Regional Programme expands the NiñaSTEM Initiative accross Latin America | Watch the launch
- 2021: Launch of the Hybrid Programme in the State of Coahuila, Mexico
Since then, more than 25,000 girls have benefited from this female mentorship Programme - 2017: OECD and Mexico Launches the NiñaSTEM initiative with the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education (SEP)
Live the adventure
Why encourage more girls into STEM fields?
The gender pay gap in Latin America and the Carribean is considerable. In LAC labour markets, women tend to be employed in relatively low-paid sectors whereas STEM field sectors tend to lead to more lucrative careers. On average, in LAC countries, men are almost three times as likely to be employed in STEM fields than women, with even larger disparities in Chile, Mexico and Colombia. STEM fields are often perceived as traditionally masculine domains, and these stereotypes start from school age. We can work towards breaking these gender stereotypes by encouraging girls to explore STEM subjects from a younger age, showing girls that the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is open to them too.
OECD work on gender in LAC
Women represent a significant source of economic growth and poverty reduction in LAC. Yet, despite rising levels of education, only 52% of women in the region were employed in 2020, compared to 75% of men. This is explained by the fact that women tend to take more responsibility for care activities, which hinders their opportunities to integrate and succeed in the labour market.
FIND OUT MORE
Media Highlights
- Mujeres y Niñas en STEM: sin suficiente impulso en los estados (2023)
- Ministra Orellana participa en foro de la OCDE para potenciar la presencia de niñas en carreras masculinizadas (2022)
- Gobierno De Coahuila Impulsa Coahuila el desarrollo profesional de alumnas a través del programa NiñasTEM (2021)
- Jornada NiñaSTEM Pueden (2019)
- OCDE-SEP Presentan portal web Niñas STEM Pueden (Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico, 2018
- Presentan la iniciativa NIÑASTEM PUEDEN: Red de Mentoras OCDE-México (Mexico, 2017)
- Universidad de Guadalajara participa en Semana Nacional de NIÑASTEM PUEDEN: Red de Mentoras (Guadalajara, Mexico, 2017)
Contact us
For further information please contact:
| Jose Antonio Ardavin Head of Latin America & Carribean Division E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: +33 1 45 24 17 83 |
Sofia Blamey Andrusco Policy Analyst E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: +33 1 85 55 64 03 |
