Eseohe Arhebamen — Persistent gender disparities in scientific research, particularly in climate change, result in a lack of essential perspectives and biased conclusions
African women researchers are transforming the continent while functioning as community organisers and entrepreneurs. Yet African women experience significant barriers in the continent's research and academic landscape.
In Nairobi, Dr Nzambi Matee created a fix for plastic waste using eco-friendly paving blocks.
In Kenya, Veronica Okello researches sustainable processes for removing heavy metals from the environment.
In Nigeria, Dr Francisca Okeke studies the effects of solar activity in the ionosphere on earth's magnetic field to support climate solutions and Dr Amina Ahmed El-Imam heads research teams working on renewable fuel.
These are some recent scientific contributions from African women. Before them, the late biologist Dr Wangari Maathai, who bagged a Nobel Prize for climate activism, paved the way.
A paper by the United States National Institutes of Health states that in Guinea, a mere 6 percent of researchers are women.
African institutions have limited systems for examining and ensuring the representation of women and lack strategies for supporting women's work-life balance.
In addition, existing employment processes advantage men. Compared to women in other regions, cultural and gender norms and unequal education further limit African women who manage a greater percentage of domestic duties.
Without African women, research excludes issues relevant to women worldwide and causes bias in research conclusions.
Female researchers can provide unique perspectives and novel problem-solving methods, resulting in more complete and inventive answers.
Climate change, which disproportionately affects Africa, further accentuates the disparity experienced by African women scientists, who are more active than men in the agricultural, health, and environmental sectors - areas that are heavily impacted by climate change.
In her foreword to "Women Researching in Africa: The Impact of Gender," Dr Tirsit Woldeyohanes writes of her childhood in Ethiopia: "Females who strive to be independent and go outdoors are derided and called critical and discouraging names. These hurdles from society have the power to compromise girls' ability to learn and achieve higher education."
Male researchers in Africa have greater representation, produce more research, publish more papers, and achieve positions of greater seniority, securing senior roles faster than women researchers. Men are also better paid.
A 2020 World Economic Forum report found that sub-Saharan African women earned 68 percent of what their male counterparts earned.
UN Women reported women earn 21 percent less than men in East and South Africa. There is reportedly a pay gap for women of up to 77 percent in Nigeria.
Without up-to-date scientific publications and proficiency in current techniques and technologies, African women researchers will lag behind their peers in wealthier nations.
Lack of financing
The UN maintains that resolving gender gaps is essential to achieving thriving, sustainable societies.
To achieve progress in gender equality, we must understand why an inadequate number of female researchers in Africa exists.
The journal Nature points to the lack of financing as particularly relevant in explaining why African women scientists face more challenges in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) than women in high-income nations.
At the heart of this disparity is inadequate government funding, which Fadhel Kaboub, president of the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, traces to colonialism's continuing suppression of African economies.
African countries are impoverished by external debt. They are a primary source of low-priced, raw materials for wealthier nations yet must consume the expensive industrialised results from those nations.
These nations are destinations for discarded technologies and products, exacerbating issues of environmental degradation. Against this backdrop, African women must overcome tremendous limitations to sustain research careers, but there is hope.
One example of hope can be found in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation.
In 2012, Nigeria implemented a Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policy with the mainstreaming, increase, and incentivisation of women in STI as an objective. Expanding mentorship opportunities was a strategy in the policy.
"In some parts of the Eastern region [of Nigeria], they do not believe that a woman can take decisions, talk less of being able to help the nation. Thankfully, my father was a teacher, and his orientation helped a lot... I am grateful for the opportunity to mentor a lot of female scientists," notes Dr Okeke, in a newspaper article.
Nigeria must fully execute its plan to increase the number of women scientists.
More African countries must follow, harnessing networking and career-building opportunities, combating socio-cultural barriers, and providing funding support.
The role of the youth
The future of Africa - its youth - hangs in the balance.
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The 2024 Summit of the Future is a timely event. The UN states that "Young people are the driving force behind innovation, progress, and positive change in our world. Their energy, creativity, and fresh perspectives are essential for shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for all."
Early Career Researcher (ECR) programmes that target and mentor youth are necessary for Africa's nearly 600 million women and girls.
In the research ecosystem, academic publishers can also help nurture African women researchers' careers by building ECR programmes for women and girls that leverage Open Access (OA) policies to expand the availability of scholarly materials and by providing training.
OA publications can be read gratis, are referenced more frequently, and facilitate cross-border collaboration among scholars.
Without up-to-date scientific publications and proficiency in current techniques and technologies, African women researchers will lag behind their peers in wealthier nations.
Publishers can help link academic institutions to funders to help researchers cover financial gaps.
Further, publishers can nurture networking among institutions on the continent, encouraging collaborations between institutions to ensure research cohesion.
This will deepen clarity about continent-wide issues like climate change. -Africa Renewal
