Jakarta/Washington, DC
Almost a month separates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11 and the International Women’s Day on March 8, but the two are getting increasingly related, if not in time at least in the achievements they want to mark. The former was established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly to encourage more girls and women to pursue studies and careers in science and technology. The latter celebrates women achievements in social, cultural, economic and political fields and advance gender parity. But these achievements will struggle to progress without higher participation of women in science, technology and innovation, especially in a highly digitalized post-pandemic world. This is particularly important for the ASEAN region, one of the fastest growing digital economies in the world, whose growth has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a ...