11F: International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019

The United Nations General Assembly decided to proclaim 11 February as International Women's and Girls' Day in Science with the goal of achieving full and equal access to science for girls and women.

February 11, 2018 was a turning point to become aware of the existing situation of inequality and the lack of presence of women in scientific and technological careers in the Balearic Islands. Thus, a group of women linked to these sectors decided to organize themselves into a working group to elaborate a proposal document or roadmap to eliminate the gender gap in the STEM field. As a result of this initiative, the 11F Balearic Islands women's platform was born, in which IFISC (UIB-CSIC) participates. This year 2019, many more women have joined the call made by the 11F Balearic Platform

In the press conference of last February 1st, given by the representatives of the platform 11F Baleares Roberta Zambrini, Julia Mañez and Ana Bonilla, and the vice-rector of Students of the UIB, Rosa Isabel Rodriguez, the activities related to the program and actions carried out by the Platform were announced. The complete list of activities that will be organized in the framework of the 11F can be found in the web 11fbalears.org.

The objective of the Platform is to give a face and a voice to women who, from institutions, companies or individually, develop their professional and academic activity especially in the field of the STEM sectors, which include science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These women can be a role model for the new generations of girls, with the idea of motivating interest, promoting scientific and technical vocations among girls and thus contribute to breaking the gender gap that currently also exists in the field of science and technology.

The group will soon present a document of proposals to the authorities of the Balearic Islands. This document will include a roadmap to break the gender gap in the STEM field, setting out the actions that could be carried out in the Balearic Islands, and grouped into three main blocks: management and facilitation of resources; prevention, monitoring and intervention of discrimination; and training, education and dissemination.

The entities that this year have been added to the Platform 11F Baleares organizing or collaborating with some of these actions are:

• Plataforma 11F Baleares
  
• Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB)
  
• Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos (IFISC, CSIC-UIB)
  
• Delegación del CSIC a las Islas Baleares – Unidad de Cultura Científica e Innovación
  
• Sistema de Observación y Predicción Costero de las Islas Baleares (SOCIB MINIECO)
  
• Centro Oceanográfico de las Baleares - Instituto Espanyol de Oceanografía (COB-IEO)
  
• Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB)
  
• Fundación Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de las Islas Baleares (IdISBa)
  
• Django Girls
  
• IBDona
  
• Vicepresidencia y Consellería de Turismo, Innovación e Investigación, a través de la Dirección General de Innovación e Investigación
  
• CaixaFòrum Palma (Obra Social la Caixa)
  
• Fundación BIT / ParcBIT
  
• Women Techmakers
  
• Asociación Noctiluca