The Teruel Campus highlights the role of women in science with the activity "conversations with scientists".

The IIS Aragón reinforces its commitment to equality in science by participating in the activities of 11F and highlighting the leadership of its female researchers in reference spaces such as the campaign «I'm a scientist. I live in your neighborhood.«

Women make up over 50% of the student body at the University of Zaragoza, but only 35,58% lead research projects. The field of Engineering shows the greatest inequality, with fewer women among students, faculty, and researchers. These are just a few highlights of the situation for women on the Aragonese public university campus, which has also organized numerous activities on its Zaragoza, Huesca, and Teruel campuses to commemorate February 11th. International Day of Women and Girls in Scienceand to champion the role of women in R&D&I, break the gender gap and awaken vocations in girls and teenagers. 

The Women in science: from the lab to the screenThe event, organized by the Government of Aragon, was first held this Tuesday in Teruel, at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, with Piedad Garrido, professor of the Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Teruel, who spoke with students from high schools in the capital.

The Paraninfo auditorium will host this event tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., which will be attended by the acting Minister of Employment, Science, and Universities of the Government of Aragon, Claudia Pérez, and the Vice-Rector for Scientific Policy at the University of Zaragoza, Pilar Pina. The session will include an audiovisual presentation followed by a discussion with Nuria Garatachea, Director of the Blanca Fernández Ochoa Foundation Chair for Athlete Support at the University of Zaragoza, and María Bernachea, Senior Scientist at INMA-CSIC. The discussion will be moderated by Laura Camón, biologist and presenter of the program. Curiosity saved the cat. Meanwhile, at the Higher Polytechnic School of the Huesca Campus, it will take place on Thursday with the participation of Vanesa Gil, head of R&D&I at the Hydrogen Foundation of Aragon.

Also this Wednesday, February 11th, at 19:00 p.m. in the Pilar Sinués room of the Paraninfo building, there will be a conversation between the public and the 11+1 scientists participating in the VI campaign I'm a scientist. I live in your neighborhood.The exhibition, which can be visited throughout February on Gran Vía, offers relatable, real-life role models to the public. Furthermore, the Unizar exhibition, supported by the Zaragoza City Council, the Government of Aragon, and the Ibercaja Foundation, aims to break down counterproductive stereotypes that portray female scientists as heroines, geeks, or those with little social life, which can discourage girls and teenagers from pursuing a potential scientific career.

The event, to which the following have been invited, 55 participants from the previous five editions, will be attended by its protagonists: Ana M. López de Lama, Chemistry (ISQCH, CSIC-UNIZAR); Ana Serrano Pacheu, Computer Science (I3A); Beatriz Zornoza Encabo, Chemical Engineer (INMA, CSIC-UNIZAR); Carmen de Guerrero Manso, Jurist (IPH); Elena García-Martín, Ophthalmologist (IIS Aragon); Eva Mª Llera Sastresa, Engineer (ENERGAIA, UNIZAR-CIRCE); Irene Pérez Ibarra, Biologist (IA2, UNIZAR-CITA); Julia Sánchez Loscertales, Mathematician (IUMA); María Eugenia Dies Álvarez, Geologist (IUCA); Patricia Ferreira Neila, Biologist (BIFI); Pilar Diago Diago, Jurist (IEDIS) and Theopisti Dafni, Physicist (CAPA). 

In addition, this Thursday the 12th, starting at 11:00 AM, guided tours are scheduled for around one hundred primary school students, who will visit the exhibits accompanied by some of the scientists featured. And on Thursday, February 26th, two roundtables for primary and secondary school students (both in person and online) will be held with these scientists at the Patio de la Infanta-Fundación Ibercaja, with prior registration required.

Manifest reading 

A manifesto reading and a group photo are planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, at 9:50 a.m. in the Plaza de las Ingenierías on the Río Ebro campus. The event aims to highlight female talent in STEAM fields and recognize the fundamental role of women in science, engineering, and architecture. Researcher Julia Herrero will read the statement issued on February 11th regarding gender bias in Artificial Intelligence.

Specifically, to highlight that “technology is also for girls,” the “One Engineer in Every School” initiative, a joint project of the University of Zaragoza, the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists of Aragon (AMIT-Aragon), and the Ibercaja Foundation, continues its direct work in classrooms over the past decade to strengthen the presence of women in STEM fields. In this context, the #Datoalojo Teaching Innovation Group has launched a new activity. Women who used data to improve lives, With the aim of bringing the stories of six women who used data to improve people's lives to educational centers, the IUMA has also scheduled the following talks: Thursday, February 12, at 12:10 in the Mathematics Building, with Ana Carmen Cebrián giving the lecture Does climate change affect heat records? A statistical and probabilistic analysisWhile on Friday, February 13, Concha Martínez will talk about Groups, Symmetry and Art at the Tauste Cultural House at 19 p.m.

In addition, a series of talks have been scheduled in secondary schools in the province of Huesca, with the participation of a dozen specialists - botanists, engineers, educators who study the impact of technology on education, environmental scientists, nutritionists or archaeologists - in Aínsa, Fraga and Huesca. 

Women's leadership in research, far from the glass ceiling

These initiatives aim to contribute to the objectives of February 11th, to champion the role of women in science and close the gender gap. In this regard, the gender gap concerning the situation of women researchers at the University of Zaragoza has narrowed in recent decades but remains a reality, as demonstrated by the "Study of the Situation of Women Researchers at the University of Zaragoza (2000 to 2021)," conducted by three researchers from the Aragonese public university: Carmen Baras, Lina Maldonado, and María Asunción Beamonte. The study sought to provide a map of the situation and its evolution over 20 years, to help the institution make strategic decisions to overcome inequalities in research. 

Currently, based on 2025 data, the total number of Teaching and Research Staff (TRS) is 5.330, of which 2.747 (51,54%) are women. Therefore, the 40% threshold, considered the benchmark for gender equality, has been surpassed for several years, and the 50% mark was reached for the first time in 2023. This balance is maintained across all major disciplines, except for Engineering, where the percentage drops to 30,71%. However, in 2015, Engineering had 23,48% female TRS, meaning it has increased by just over 7 percentage points in a decade.

Equal representation in undergraduate studies

This equal presence of women at the University of Zaragoza is also reflected in the number of students. Parity in enrollment between women and men in all university programs was achieved years ago. Currently, the latest data from 2025 shows that 53,62% of students enrolled in university studies are women, compared to 46.38% men. Women are the majority in all areas of study, with the exception of Engineering and Architecture, where the current percentage of female students is 28,07% (two points higher than the previous year and six points higher than the last 10 years), reaching 74,76% in Health Sciences and 64.03% in Humanities. 60.8% in Social Sciences, and 50,78% in Sciences, thus reaffirming the presence of women in higher academic training at the University of Zaragoza as equal at all levels of training, including those leading to a research career. 

Regarding women's leadership in research, an upward trend is observed. However, it is still insufficient, as the percentage of women leading research projects does not reach 40%, averaging 35,58%, with a greater imbalance in Engineering, where only 26,24% of projects are led by women. This situation contrasts with that observed in the major fields of Health (50,32%), Humanities (41,98%), Social Sciences (41,64%), and Sciences (38,36%). 

Ten years ago, the percentage of projects led by women was almost 10 points lower than the current one (26,04%, compared to 35,58%). 

Source: Teruel Diary