“It’s buzzing here. There are a lot of actions, we see lots of sparkling eyes. At the end of the line, the DD Mariève Blanchet is delighted with the enthusiasm of the young people who flock to the Montreal Science Center this Saturday morning.
On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, created by the United Nations, the Montreal institution is offering a thematic day to introduce young girls to science. The event is presented by Amazon Web Services with the Faculty of Sciences of UQAM.
A conference given by the aerospace engineer Farah Alibay and the presentation of the dog-robot Spot, who worked in the metro stations of the metropolis this summer, are notably on the menu.
“We talk with young people and with parents, we try to inspire them,” explains Mariève Blanchet, professor in the department of physical activity sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). Accompanied by five of her students, she runs a kiosk where she teaches young people “what we do in our laboratories through exploration, movement and manipulation. »
The professor hopes that this day will motivate young girls to get involved in the field of science, where they are still under-represented in the country. Between 1998 and 2018, the proportion of women in the field of natural sciences increased by only 5% to 24.6%, according to Statistics Canada. And in 2016, male scientists earned an average of 9% more per year than their counterparts.
“A major issue is motherhood”, note DD Blanket. “When you carry a child and breastfeed it, of course you have less time and energy, and there can be a mental overload,” she continues. Me, I’m lucky, I’m very well supported. »
She explains that several grants are awarded on the basis of the excellence record presented by the researchers, which includes, for example, their number of scientific articles published. However, a woman who has had children could have published fewer articles in the periods following childbirth.
Lack of models
This is a strong comeback for this sixth edition of the event, which was held virtually in 2021 and organized on a reduced scale in 2022. “This is our biggest edition so far”, rejoices the director of the Science Center, Cybèle Robichaud, in an interview. She reminds that boys are also welcome at the activity.
“What we observe is that the interest of girls and boys in science is identical in primary school, but there is a decrease in girls’ interest in the discipline over the course of their schooling”, she laments. This could be explained, among other things, by the fact that there are fewer female role models in the field, she believes. “We always identify with the people who inspire us, so it’s a vicious circle. Since there are fewer women in science, girls feel less inspired. »
She hopes the event will pique the interest of young girls and make them want to consider a career in science. “There must be parity. It’s the future of tomorrow! »