About International Day of Women and Girls in Science
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed on 11 February, and in 2027 it falls on Thursday, 11 February 2027. The UN General Assembly created it in December 2015 to push for equal places for women in science, engineering, maths and medicine. In India it is marked by universities, research institutes and the Department of Science and Technology, which runs school and fellowship programmes for girls and women researchers.
India trains a very large share of the world's women science graduates and then loses most of them somewhere between the degree and the laboratory. That gap, not the shortage of talent, is what 11 February is about.
Why is International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February?
The date comes from a UN General Assembly decision, not from an anniversary. On 22 December 2015 the Assembly adopted resolution 70/212 and named 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The first observance was on 11 February 2016.
UNESCO and UN Women lead the day, usually with an assembly event in New York and events in member states. The figures the UN quotes have moved slowly. Women were 31.1 per cent of researchers in 2022, about 35 per cent of science graduates, and roughly 22 per cent of people working in artificial intelligence.
How many women work in science in India?
The Department of Science and Technology counted 67,441 women among 3.62 lakh people directly working in research and development in India, as on 1 April 2021. That is 18.6 per cent. The share of women leading extramural research projects funded by the department rose from 13 per cent in 2000-01 to 25 per cent in 2019-20.
The shape of the problem is familiar to anyone in an Indian university. Girls do well in school science and enrol in large numbers for BSc and MSc. The number falls at PhD, falls again at faculty level, and falls hardest at the level of directors and heads of department. Marriage, a move for a husband's job, a break for a child and the lack of a way back after that break account for much of it.
Three Department of Science and Technology programmes exist to work on different parts of that:
- Vigyan Jyoti takes science to girls of Classes 9 to 12 in districts where few girls take up STEM, with visits to laboratories, tutoring and talks by women scientists. The department reported it running in 250 districts across 34 states and union territories, with around 25,000 girls enrolled in 2023-24.
- WISE-KIRAN, started in 2018, gives fellowships and project funding to women scientists, including those returning after a career break.
- GATI works on the institutions themselves, asking universities and research bodies to check and fix their own hiring, promotion and leave policies.
Which Indian women scientists should a student know?
| Name | Field | Why she is remembered |
|---|---|---|
| Janaki Ammal (1897-1984) | Botany, cytogenetics | Worked on chromosomes in sugarcane and magnolias; among the first Indian women to take a doctorate in botany abroad |
| Kamala Sohonie (1911-1998) | Biochemistry | The first Indian woman to earn a PhD in a science subject, in 1939; she got into IISc only after protesting against C. V. Raman's refusal to admit women |
| Asima Chatterjee (1917-2006) | Organic chemistry | Worked on medicinal plant compounds, including anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs; the first woman awarded a DSc by an Indian university, in 1944 |
| Anna Mani (1918-2001) | Physics, meteorology | Built India's weather instruments and measured solar radiation and ozone; retired as Deputy Director General of the India Meteorological Department |
How is the day marked in India, and what can a school do?
Indian universities, IITs, CSIR laboratories and institutes such as the Indian Academy of Sciences hold lectures, panel discussions and open days on or around 11 February. The Department of Science and Technology has used the date to announce new phases of its women-in-science schemes. Schools hold quizzes and talks, often with a woman scientist or doctor invited from the neighbourhood.
Things worth doing on the day:
- Invite one working woman scientist, doctor or engineer to a class, and ask her to describe an ordinary week rather than her achievements.
- Take a group of girls to a nearby laboratory, planetarium or science centre, and let them use equipment rather than look at it.
- In a workplace, check one number honestly: how many women are in your technical team, and how many in the senior half of it.
What should you write on Women and Girls in Science Day?
Keep the focus on the work. A message that says "you do good science" is stronger than one that marvels that she does it while managing a home.
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Your last set of results held up under every question the reviewers threw. That is the whole job.
On Women and Girls in Science Day, thank you for keeping the physics lab open after school. Half our batch chose science because of those extra hours.
Happy Science Day. You have been taking things apart since you were four, and you still put them back better. Keep going.
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Maths being hard this year does not mean it is not for you. Almost everyone finds it hard first.
On Women and Girls in Science Day, welcome back to the bench. The gap on your CV says far less about you than the work you are starting now.
Happy Women and Girls in Science Day. Thank you for the night shifts, the site visits and the patience with people who still ask to speak to the senior person.
Do
- Name her subject and her actual work if you know it.
- For girls, encourage them to stay with a hard subject rather than praising them for being clever.
- If you are posting for an institution, quote a figure with its source and year.
Avoid
- Avoid "you do it all" messages; they praise the extra load instead of questioning it.
- Don't put a woman's photograph on a company post without asking her.
- Don't reduce her to firsts and labels like "lady scientist".
The day sits just before National Science Day on 28 February, and near International Women's Day on 8 March. For students of maths, see National Mathematics Day, and for schooling for girls, National Girl Child Day.
How to wish someone on International Day of Women and Girls in Science
The best message on 11 February names a woman you actually know in science: a lab colleague, a physics teacher, a daughter who takes clocks apart, a friend who returned to research after a break. Praise the work, not the fact that she managed it as a woman. For girls, encouragement to keep at a hard subject lands better than compliments.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2026 and 2027?
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on 11 Feb every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2027?
International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2027 falls on Thursday, 11 February 2027.
Who declared 11 February as the day for women and girls in science?
The United Nations General Assembly did, through resolution 70/212 adopted on 22 December 2015. The first International Day of Women and Girls in Science was observed on 11 February 2016, with UNESCO and UN Women leading it.
What percentage of scientists in India are women?
The Department of Science and Technology counted 67,441 women among 3.62 lakh people directly engaged in research and development in India as on 1 April 2021, which is 18.6 per cent. Women led 25 per cent of the department's extramural research projects in 2019-20, up from 13 per cent in 2000-01.
Who was the first Indian woman to get a PhD in science?
Kamala Sohonie, a biochemist, is regarded as the first Indian woman to receive a PhD in a science subject, in 1939. She was admitted to the Indian Institute of Science only after protesting against its director, C. V. Raman, who did not want to admit women.
What is the Vigyan Jyoti programme?
Vigyan Jyoti is a Department of Science and Technology programme that encourages girls in Classes 9 to 12 to take up science, technology, engineering and maths in districts where few of them do. The department has reported it running in 250 districts across 34 states and union territories, with around 25,000 girls enrolled in 2023-24.
How is International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrated in India?
Universities, IITs, CSIR laboratories and science academies hold lectures, panel discussions and laboratory open days, and schools organise quizzes and talks by women scientists. It is a working day in India, not a public holiday.
What is the difference between this day and National Science Day?
International Day of Women and Girls in Science, on 11 February, is a United Nations day about women's place in science worldwide. National Science Day, on 28 February, is an Indian day marking C. V. Raman's announcement of the Raman effect in 1928.
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