International Day of Women and Girls in Science in Spanish

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Why do we need to make a special day to celebrate it? What’s there to celebrate? How did it all start?

If you think “scientist” what image comes to your mind? How many women scientists can you mention right now? Are men more naturally inclined toward scientific studies? Are there any degrees that suit women better? What do you think of a woman engineer in the petrol or mining industry?

Keep reading for the answers to the above questions and to discover how some Spanish-speaking countries celebrate el Día Internacional de la Mujer y Niña en la Ciencia. Plus, I’ve included a list of STEM-related Spanish words so that you can read and talk about science, technology, engineering, and math in Spanish.

Origin and Importance of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

It wasn’t without a struggle that women started acquiring rights. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited its members to celebrate women’s rights on March 8th. 

Still, almost 40 years later, in 2015, it was clear that equality had not been fully accomplished. A key field where men outnumbered women significantly was science. Less than 30% of researchers were women, and only about 30% of students earning STEM-related degrees were women.

And do you know what was the percentage of female enrollment in information and communications technology (ICT)? 3%! Natural science, mathematics, and statistics? 5%! Engineering, manufacturing, and construction? 8%!

Why? Worldwide biases, prejudices, and gender stereotypes, both in real life and on-screen.

It was time to start a dialogue about the issue and do something about it. The UN declared February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. International days like this one aim to educate people on issues of concern, motivate politicians to act, and use resources to address global problems.

Why is it important? Men and women are equal but different. If women and girls constitute 50% of the global population, their participation in scientific discoveries should be equally represented. The world needs more women and girls in science.

How is International Day of Women and Girls in Science Celebrated?

Unfortunately, this year, all the celebrations have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, like everything else in our lives. Most of the events moved online. The advantage of virtual life is that now it’s easy to participate in events all over the world, whether it’s in Colombia, Ecuador, México, Guatemala, or Spain. 

Let’s see how El Día Internacional de la Mujer y Niña en la Ciencia has been celebrated in some Spanish-speaking countries. 

Spain

Spain has been at the forefront of promoting and celebrating women in science for a long time. This year, you can find institutions and events promoting #mujeresenciencia in most of its autonomous communities. 

Last year, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, asked almost 300 girls and women of 20 nationalities to send a video talking about things they liked about physics. 

This year, with the campaign ·YoutubersPorUnDia (Youtubers for a Day) they are inviting boys and girls to send videos or drawings or crafts inspired by a discovery made by a woman in physics or math. (See the results on the IFT channel.) 

Find more information and fliers in simple Spanish about women scientists and researchers here. 

Colombia 

In Colombia, you can join in the III Encuentro Colombiano de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia (3rd Colombian Meeting of Women and Girls in Science). The events is from February 9-12 on virtual platforms. Mars is the guest of honor! 

Check out the interactive agenda. It’s free to participate and a great opportunity to practice your Spanish!

Ecuador

Ecuador is taking big strides in celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

@Divulgaciencia and @OEI Ecuador are dedicating the month to talk about #mujeresenciencia (women in science). This year, the country hosts El I Encuentro Internacional de Mujeres y Niñas en las Ciencias (The First International Meeting of Women and Girls in Science) organized by El Museo Interactivo de la Ciencia (MIC) and la Red Ecuatoriana de Mujeres Científicas. 

The event is from February 9-13, and you can sign up for free by simply filling in a form in Spanish.

Argentina

Dirección General de Escuelas en Argentina has published a series of interesting articles for girls to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

Read the articles online, sign up for a programming club, and download two books in Spanish: Mi Científica Favorita and  Mi Científica Favorita II.

Spanish STEM vocabulary

How about reviewing some Spanish vocabulary related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics? Let’s see how many of them you’re already familiar with.

Science-Related Vocabulary

Let’s start with words related to life science, physical science, and earth and space science:

Life Science

Spanish	English
el organismo	organism
la célula	cell
el tejido	tissue
el órgano	organ
el gen	gene
el ADN (ácido desoxirribonucleico)	DNA

Physical Science

Spanish	English
la energía	energy
la materia	matter
el átomo	atom
el sonido	sound
la densidad	density
el volumen	volume

Earth and Space Science

Technology-Related Vocabulary

This vocabulary is useful when traveling in Spanish-speaking countries. If you have any problems with the Internet or your devices, you can always refer to these terms to get you through.

Computers

Spanish	English
la computadora (lat.am.), el ordenador	computer
laptop (lat. am.), el portatil	laptop
la pantalla	monitor / screen
el teclado	keyboard
el disco duro	hard drive
los altavoces	speakers
Internet
la conexión al internet	internet connection
la velocidad	speed
la banda ancha	broadband
la red	network
arroba	@
el enlace	link

Cell Phones

Spanish	English
el celular / móvil	cell phone
el paquete de internet	data plan
la cobertura	coverage
la contraseña	password
la aplicación / la app	app
una llamada internacional	international phone call

Engineering-Related Vocabulary

el ingeniero	engineer
diseñar	design
producir	to produce
el químico	chemical
eléctrico	electrical
mecánico	mechanical
montar	assemble
la prueba	test
medir	to measure
calcular	to calculate
la longitud	length
el ancho	width
el alto	height
la fuerza	force

Math-Related Vocabulary

Math Subjects

Spanish	English
aritmética	arithmetic
matemáticas	mathematics
álgebra	algebra
cálculo	calculus
estadística	statistics
geometría	geometry
física	physics
trigonometría	trigonometry
la calculadora	calculator

Basic Math

Spanish	English
suma	addition
resta	subtraction
multiplicacón	multiplication
división	division
ecuación	equation
más	plus

Math Terminology

Spanish	English
la calculadora	calculator
el número par	even number
el número impar	odd number
el porcentaje	percentage
la fracción	fraction
la cantidad	quantity

Have you noticed how many STEM-related words in Spanish look similar to English words? They are called cognates. If you want to get to know more cognates in Spanish, check out Easy Cognates for the Beginning Spanish Learner.

Now you’re ready for academic conversations in the STEM field or to attend conferences and events for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in Spanish!

Practice your STEM skills and STEM Spanish Language

Why not sign up for a free class with one of our friendly, native-speaking teachers from Guatemala to talk about the International Day of Women and Girls in Science? You can use your STEM vocabulary and talk about your skills and interests related to this field. 

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