#WomenInScience: Women Are a 'Natural Fit' in the World of Science

10 Feb 2022

International Day of Women and Girls in Science, organised by the United Nations, takes place on Friday, February 11.

Portobello Institute is marking this day with a series of blog posts, highlighting the work and achievements of many of our team who excel in sciences, sharing our insights on the topic and getting behind the awareness on social media with the hashtag #WomenInScience

Portobello supports the work of women in science through STEAM subjects and learning in early childhood studies and our sports science qualifications.

This blog post was written by Colette Saunders. Colette is Module Lead, Blending Learning Support Tutor and Associate Lecturer on Portobello Institute’s level 7 Early Childhood Studies Degree, Project Supervisor on BA Hons Degree level 8.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

I always have considered women to be natural creators in the way we bring life into the world.

This life brings with it change and further opportunities for growth and development for society as a whole. For this reason, I think women and girls are a natural fit for the world of science, creation is in our DNA!

Thinking back on my own experiences of learning about science, the earliest memory I have of learning about it was in secondary school, however, looking back on my childhood now, I can see I had been learning about science in many different ways without even realising it at the time.

I feel STEAM learning opportunities offered to all children during their preschool years are a great opportunity to begin sowing the seeds about science.

Doing so will nurture and promote the innate curiosity which I have come to learn all young children have about the natural world. It is this curiosity I feel, that fuels the passion for learning about science and it is important it is nurtured in all children from an early age.

Three of my oldest and closest friends, all female, work in science-related fields within the pharma industries and health sector.

They are very good at what they do and are natural advocates for women and girls in science. I am hopeful, with the right kind of political will and societal pressure, opportunities for young girls to learn about science will continue for many years to come. I am hopeful too that women as scientists will continue to be the positive and empowering agents of change they have become and are still becoming within the world of science.

As I said, creation is in our DNA, so let’s make the most of it!