The Right to Science and Gender Inequalities

The right to science was included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago. A very influential person in the drafting of the Universal Declaration was a woman, Eleanor Roosevelt. The position of women in the UDHR is, however, rather secondary. The UDHR speaks of all members of the human family, but its text is rather male oriented. Moreover, despite the fact that equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of the UDHR, women still do not enjoy human rights equally with men. The same is true for the right to science.

It is uncontested that deep inequalities between women and men persist in the field of education, sciences and research. Women remain underrepresented and/or disadvantaged in access to scientific education and opportunities to have a career in academia. Furthermore, women suffer from lack of access to scientific applications and scientific applications and technologies may be gender biased and not sensitive to the particularities and needs of women.

This inequality is persistent, “[…] even in countries with relatively long histories of formal and legal equality”. This implies that more subtle and underlying factors play a role, such as gender stereotypes and biases. How ineradicable is the inequality between women and men in sciences and research and what does the right to science as a human right have to offer in response to sex and gender inequalities? This opinion focuses on the right to science as included in Article 15(1)b of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and in the UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers. It argues that the right to science is an important normative tool that should promote and facilitate structural changes that can help to overcome gender-based barriers and ensure that women enjoy the right to science equally with men.