Last Monday 18th September, an event on equality and science took place at Titania’s new R&D centre, organised by the #MujeresImparables Association, in collaboration with Titania, as part of the celebration of the eighth anniversary of the inclusive entity. At the event, issues related to Women and Science were made visible and debated, with the support and presence of experts such as Ana Isabel Moreno Jiménez, representative for International Cooperation, Citizen Participation and Consumption on the Cádiz Provincial Council; Alfonso Candón, Territorial Delegate for Social Inclusion, Youth, Families and Equality in Cádiz; Blanca Merino, Provincial Coordinator of the Andalusian Institute for Women in Cádiz; Rosario Iglesias Pérez, Director of the Unit for Equality between Women and Men of the University of Cádiz; and Laura Almisas, Delegate for Equality of the Rota Town Council.

The event began with the presentation of the exhibition ‘Encyclopaedia of STEAM Women’ by the authors Núria Salán, metallurgical chemist, and Sandra Uve, illustrator and writer. Both are science communicators who work with a gender perspective. The exhibition brings together 19 very important women scientists in history. Each panel includes a portrait of the protagonist, contextualised and illustrated with her patents, publications and discoveries that brought her work to prominence. It is a unique work that has been transferred from its place of origin, Barcelona, to the province of Cádiz. The exhibition will remain at Titania throughout the month of September and will be open to schools and faculties in Andalusia.

This was followed by a round table discussion entitled ‘Women in Science: Challenges and Opportunities’ in which six female researchers from the province of Cadiz gave their impressions of the field in which they carry out their professional activity: Carolina Mendiguchía, lecturer in the Department of Analytical Chemistry; Ana Bartual, lecturer in the Department of Biology; Laura Martín, lecturer in the Department of Physical Chemistry; María Rosa Durán, lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, Rosa María Mateos, lecturer in the Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health and Marta Botana, Researcher in the company Titania.

During the speeches a common thread could be heard among the protagonists: ‘It’s hard to be a woman, to have stones put in your way and to have to prove your worth in your professional field’. It was also pointed out that social policies should be aimed at facilitating work-life balance and shared responsibility in order to combat the gender biases and stereotypes that still exist today.

The event was framed to make visible and recognise female talent in the field of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) throughout history, in order to bring prodigious minds to the attention of the youngest. To quote the authors of the exhibition: ‘science has no gender, only brilliant minds’.