The United Nations General Assembly decided in 2015 to declare 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, with a twofold objective. Firstly, to give recognition to the great work of women in the scientific and technological community. Secondly, to make visible the key role played by women in these fields with a view to fostering girls’ access to research in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Coinciding with the #WomensAndGirlsInScienceDay, at Banco Sabadell we have joined this event by organising an educational day with the Bertelsmann Foundation in which our colleagues at #SabadellData explained the details of their day-to-day professional life to a group of 50 secondary school students, who then participated in a number of different workshops in our corporate building.

Imagen del Día de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia 2023 de Banco Sabadell

During the talk given to the students by the Artificial Intelligence and Big Data specialists, Angels Yebra, director of Analytical Projects, and Fabiola Nasca, director of Cognitive Projects, explained to the young people that this day is not only a day to talk and reflect on this topic, but that during the International Women and Girls in Science Day a series of more executive events are held with the aim of designing and implementing effective measures to advance towards parity between men and women in this field. Therefore, this year at the UN headquarters in New York, political representatives and senior executives of private companies from several countries met, with the capacity to take decisions that will help to move towards equal access for women in the fields of science and technology, engineering and mathematics.

Angels Yebra, Dir Analytical Projects: “#ArtificialIntelligence makes our lives a little easier; at @BancoSabadell we are committed to society and we also contribute to the continuous improvement of day-to-day life.”#WomenInScience #WomenInScienceDay #SabadellData pic.twitter.com/oqIoFpKV6d

– Banco Sabadell (@BancoSabadell) 9 February, 2023

According to Fabiola, “The very fact that these meetings are being convened is of great importance, because it implies automatic recognition that equal access does not currently exist. We cannot forget that until not so long ago in many countries men and women did not have equal rights. And today, unfortunately, there are still countries where women, for example, cannot go to university or where the salaries paid to men and women are different.

During the session, Esther Nin, director of International Legal Advice of the organisation, also spoke about equal rights between men and women, emphasising the idea that gender should not determine our rights. In her presentation, Esther reviewed the role of women in history and stressed that “science is the driving force for the progress of our society and, therefore, the contributions of all scientific professionals, whether they are men or women, cannot be missing”. 

The session also included the participation of Núria Salán, PhD in Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, professor at the UPC and president of the Societat Catalana de Tecnologia, who presented the project ‘El Ingenio (In)Visible’ in which she reviews the contributions of more than 7,500 women throughout history. From the system for heating food called the bain-marie (in honour of its creator, María la Judía, who lived in the 3rd century AD) to more modern ingenuities such as the windscreen wiper (by the American Mary Anderson) or the electronic book (by the Spanish Ángela Ruiz Robles). According to Núria, “when I was 12 years old I thought that, after Marie Curie, I would be the second female scientist in all humanity because I could not find any reference to women inventors in the encyclopaedias”

The day also served to showcase several examples of women’s achievements in the field of science, which are not sufficiently visible afterwards.  This means that girls or young women who might want to go into science do not have enough to inspire them. And, at times, it may even mean that some of them may think that women do not have the necessary skills to carry out certain professions. Addressing this situation is one of the main objectives of the United Nations’ celebration of this day.

Imagen de los participantes en el día internacional de la mujer y la niña en la ciencia de Banco Sabadell

Group of Banco Sabadell specialists who took part in the informative seminar

 

“Events like this are very important to encourage girls to pursue studies in science”

Under the umbrella of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, our colleagues from #SabadellData sought to reflect on #WomenandScience and have shared their experience to give visibility to #STEM women making the most of this day. 

 

Imagen de Helena Naranjo de Banco Sabadell

Helena Naranjo – Analytical Transformation Specialist

“I think it is important to celebrate days like this so that new generations of girls have female role models and know that they can be and do whatever they set their minds to do”.
Imagen de Carlota Mañas de Banco Sabadell

Carlota Mañas – Analytical Transformation Specialist

“I think initiatives like this are very valuable, both for the children who come to celebrate Girls’ and Women’s Day in Science and for the adults who work at the Bank. Not only do we have a good time, but we also create awareness; we can teach something to young people that we were not taught”

“Fortunately, the situation in the classroom has changed since we were studying; before there was only one girl per class in the technological baccalaureate… which meant that almost none of them wanted to study engineering. Now, thanks to social media and fantastic women doing outreach, the message of equality is reaching many more homes and more women want to enter the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) world.
Imagen de Belén Canals de Banco Sabadell

Belén Canals – Data Analyst / Data Science Specialist

“We need to make it visible that women do not only study engineering, mathematics or physics, but that we also work in it. It is time that from our workplaces we fight for a more inclusive working environment and from our passion for this world we can motivate younger women”.
Imagen de Elena Alcaide de Banco Sabadell

Elena Alcaide – Collective Data Specialist

“I wish there were more days where women were given visibility and where teenagers could realise how important female talent is in the STEM world”.
Imagen de Angels Yebra de Banco Sabadell

Angela Roca – Data Scientist

“The journey as a STEM woman has not been easy. From the moment you start to feel curiosity and interest in the technological field, you are accompanied by reactions of amazement. It is difficult to feel interested in a field where the great references are men and you feel that it is not your place. To this day, we are still in this struggle, as we continue to ask for things like pay parity and more representation at the top”.
Imagen de Jessica Lopez-Hazas de Banco Sabadell

Angels Yebra – Director of Analytical Projects

“I always wanted to be a STEM woman before I knew what it was to be a STEM woman. Science and in particular mathematics have always been part of my passions, gender has never been an impediment to this. I am proud to be able to devote my life to what I really enjoy and to help show the world that science does not belong to men, but to those who enjoy it”.
Imagen de Fabiola Nasca de Banco Sabadell

Jessica Lopez-Hazas – Data Analyst / Data Science Specialist

“In STEM professions we can develop technologies that transform society and help us understand the world, so it is vital that women can participate in a field with so much potential on an equal footing”.
Imagen de Clara Rovira de Banco Sabadell

Fabiola Nasca – Director of Cognitive Projects

“Until recently I didn’t even know I was a STEM woman, I just knew I was a woman in a man’s world, going against the grain. Little by little I have changed the way I feel about it, I now believe that I am a woman who has made a free choice in a world that is open to all people, and that I may have helped that”.
Imagen de Luis Echávarri de Banco Sabadell

Clara Rovira – Collective Data Specialist

“I think it is fundamental to attract girls to study and pursue these kinds of professions, to show the social impact that science can have. This can be done in education and in companies themselves. So I am convinced that showing these professions in a more complete way and disassociating them from more solitary and ‘geeky’ profiles would help to attract more women into these sectors”.
Imagen de Luis Echávarri de Banco Sabadell

Luis Echávarri – Director of Analytics and Artificial Intelligence

“Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science shows us that in terms of equality and opportunities, there is still a long way to go. It is very important that the bank as an organisation, each unit and each one of us is aware of this and has this as one of our objectives and that we put the means to move forward. I feel very grateful and proud for the team I have and for their vocation and proactivity in working and collaborating on these issues. I also realise that around us, in other units (HR, Communication, etc.) we are always surrounded by people who are happy to accompany and help us. Activities like the one we have organised today help us on our way forward”.
Imagen de Pau Borrós de Banco Sabadell

Pau Borrós – Collective Data Specialist

“Today’s event is very important to convey to young women that they can be whatever they want to be. The key lies in choosing to do what they like best, without pressure of any kind. Personally, I chose Mathematics and I was the only one in my circle of friends. It was a decision totally free from social pressures such as going to where my friends were or what my relatives expected of me”.