Abstract:
Girls and women have consistently been underrepresented in most Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions, necessitating research
[1]. There is a need to define and execute measures and policies to help reduce this gap
[2]. The Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAIL), in collaboration with
Gender Justice in STEM Research in Africa (GeJuSTA), is conducting studies to analyse
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the representation of women in STEM in Africa. The study will be used to guide the
development of policies and curricula aimed at bridging the gap of women
representation in STEM. The methods used in this study are analysing the genders of
members of staffs in STEM faculties from African universities; analysing the genders of
STEM-papers’ authors from African universities and; conducting literature review to
evaluate existing measures that have been put in place to encourage and enable women
to join STEM professions. Preliminary results show that women are underrepresented
in STEM fields in Africa.