Towards Gender Equality in Education and Career in the Earth Observation and Gi Sector

Abstract

Abstract. Gender inequality is omnipresent in our society and in the field of education and training, the gender gap is especially evident in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. While different studies have been conducted about potential reasons explaining this gap, little is known about gender inequality and underlying factors in the Earth Observation and Geoinformatics (EO*GI) domain. To close some parts of this knowledge gap, the initiative Women in Copernicus was established with the overall goal to make women working in the EO*GI field and especially in the Copernicus ecosystem more visible. This paper analyses the results of a survey of 462 women identifying reasons for not choosing STEM education and the barriers related to educational choices in their career path. The main obstacles that hinder choosing a STEM education for these women are stereotypes in society, missing female role models but also culture, television and society message transmitted by the media. The lack of self-confidence is an essential factor in this choice and is also experienced as a barrier during individual career paths. This analysis provides insights valuable for political decisions making targeting at a gender-balanced work environment and emphasizes the importance of attracting more girls and young women towards a STEM education and supporting them during their career to reach skills and occupational equality and strengthen the economic development of the EO*GI sector.

Discovering Inclusivity in Remote Sensing: Leaving No One Behind

“…To increase representation, institutions must actively increase visibility of their scientists, researchers, and authors from underrepresented and marginalised groups and communities. These could be by using social media platforms and professional networks such as the Ladies of Landsat, Sisters of SAR, Women in Copernicus, IEEE GRSS IDEA, Women+ in Geospatial, and other networks (Crowley et al, 2021a;Crowley et al, 2021b;Riedler et al, 2021;Stéphenne et al, 2021;Vizireanu et al, 2021) that aim to promote and support women in remote sensing. Actively nominating women for grants/awards, or by creating 'special issues' within a journal to amplify their work can also help to promote and support their research (Amon 2017;Van Oosten et al, 2017;Joyce et al, 2021).…”