Our prize is looking for women scientists who make a difference - and you could be the next winner: applications are now open for the 16th edition of the program For Women in Science in Brazil! Carried out by L'Oréal, in partnership with UNESCO in Brazil and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the initiative aims to promote and recognize the participation of women in science, favoring gender balance in the Brazilian scenario.
And for this year, we are proud to announce something new: attentive to the main challenges faced by female researchers, we have adjusted our regulations and extended the deadline for completing the doctorate for scientists with one or more children - all to reinforce the importance of including mothers who do science! Interested in the proposal? Check out more information below!
"At this particular time of pandemic, the For Women in Science program finds enormous resonance that only reinforces our beliefs in the necessary union of two forces so relevant to our society: science and women. The world needs science. And science needs women! Science is key to solving the enormous challenges of today's world and, to change it, female strength is paramount", says Patrick Sabatier, Director of Institutional Relations and Communication at L'Oréal Brasil.
What is the For Women in Science program and how to participate? See below!
Every year, in the local edition, 7 young female researchers in the areas of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences and Mathematics are awarded a grant of R$50,000 each to continue their studies. In order to participate, the candidate must have completed her doctorate as of January 1, 2014. For women with one child, the deadline is extended by one year and for those with two or more children, the additional deadline is two years. In addition, the scientist must have a stable residence in Brazil, develop research projects in national institutions, among other requirements. To check out all the regulations, just click here.
Adjustment to the regulations to extend the opportunity to more female scientists and mothers came about as a result of research carried out by L'Oréal
Did you know that over these 16 years, the For Women in Science program has recognized and encouraged 103 Brazilian scientists? To date, in addition to rewarding the relevance of their work, the initiative has distributed more than R$4.3 million in grants! In 2020, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the For Women in Science program in Brazil, L'Oréal took the opportunity to learn even more about the reality of these winners and carried out a major survey with the British institute Kite Insights. It uncovered some of the obstacles that women scientists face in their careers - and personal life challenges were named as the main ones. In the survey:
- 61% reported that professional responsibilities outside of research are the greatest difficulties;
- for 51% of the women, the most complicated point was finding a balance between personal and professional life
- for 46% of them, the other responsibilities in the family sphere were the most challenging.
In this sense, scientists have to deal with some of the challenges they face in their careers.
In this sense, the majority of laureates stated that, in the scientific field, having a child will impact a woman's career (86%), while most of them (77%) had to make difficult decisions regarding children - such as whether to have them, how many and when - in order to accommodate their careers. Thinking of helping them overcome these major challenges, L'Oréal, as well as partners Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Unesco, took the decision to adjust the program's regulations in Brazil, expanding the opportunity for scientist mothers.
If you want to be part of this team of women scientists who inspire and empower other researchers, now is your time! The program's applications are open until May 10 and the winners will be announced in August. Don't miss your chance!
