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  • SPOTLIGHT

Meet the Latina scientists advancing health and policy

Four Latin American researchers reflect on their experiences bridging the gap between science and policy in the region.
By
  1. Meghie Rodrigues

    1. Meghie Rodrigues is a freelance journalist in Paraná, Brazil.

Life as a scientist in Latin America isn’t always easy — and this is especially true for women. Latina researchers have had to find creative ways to bypass the gender gap from an early age: at 15, girls are half as likely as boys to expect that they’ll work in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) area. According to the United Nations, in 2016, less than half (45%) of Latin America’s workforce in research and development were women. Although this figure is above the world average (38%), it is low compared with graduation rates for women in Latin American countries.

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Nature 636, S25-S27 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03998-8

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

This article is part of Nature Spotlight: Women in Latin America, an editorially independent supplement. Advertisers have no influence over the content.

References

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  3. Farmer, D. L. et al. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 218, 256 (2018).

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