Improving measurement and policies for gender equality in science and engineering

A new UNESCO publication launched during the eight World Science Forum in Jordan on 9 November provides a series of tools to integrate, monitor and evaluate gender equality in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The publication ‘Measuring Gender Equality in Science and Engineering: the SAGA Toolkit’ was developed as part of the project “STEM and Gender Advancement (SAGA)”, a global UNESCO project supported by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The SAGA Toolkit is not only intended to assist policy-makers in the design of gender-sensitive and evidence-based policies, but also aims help them evaluate gender-related Science,Technology and Innovation (STI) policy coverage and strengthen national gender policy agendas in STI. In so doing, the SAGA Toolkit establishes a new basis for evidence-based policy-making in STI by setting standard definitions and classifications to address the gender gap in STEM more effectively.

The SAGA Toolkit is part of the SAGA methodology on measuring gender equality in science and engineering described in a series of working papers, freely available on the SAGA project website.

Currently, only 28% of the scientific research and workforce worldwide are women. The SAGA project is helping countries in reducing the gender gap and promoting girls’ and women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Today, the tools are being piloted in several  countries and institutions across the world. A final version of the methodology is expected at the end of 2018.

• Find out more about the SAGA project and its series of tools