16 February 2021 – Almost every parent dreams of a future in which children, boys and girls, feel free to pursue the lives and careers they want – even those historically regarded unthinkable or not appropriate for their gender. A young girl passionate about science, able in it, should be able to grow to be a woman enjoying a career in science. There are many cases where girls outperform boys at every level of education,but are still under-represented in some professional fields – including science. We want to inspire young girls to be passionate about science, showing them the women who have already made it. We also want to address anything that would act as a barrier to female achievement and support Indonesian women in their early career path to be a scientist.

As part of our effort to mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science, on Wednesday, 17 February 2021 from 15:00 – 16:00 WIB, an exciting talk will be held, where we will invite three Indonesian women in significant leadership positions in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) to learn about their passion in science, their journey to get where they are now, their ways of overcoming challenges, and their future ambitions. They are Prof. Dwikorita Karnawati, BMKG (Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency), Sri Fatmawati PhD from Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSDW) and Amelia Buddhiman from Akuo Energy. In addition, we hope that this talk will stimulate ideas from attendees on how we all can contribute to promoting careers in STEM for young women. To attend please register at http://bit.ly/VoiceofWomeninSTEM. This webinar is organised in partnership with British Embassy Jakarta, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Mentari and OWSDW.

“Not making the most of the talents of 50% of the world’s population is slowing down the progress humankind can make. These three inspirational women show the amazing things women in science can achieve, if given the chance to use education to unlock doors of opportunity and chart their own future. I hope that the parents of young girls and young women everywhere will hear their story and be inspired. We need more women in science, and so we need to address the barriers to that. One contributing factor leading to the underrepresentation of women in STEM globally is access to education. The UK is committed in championing girls’ education around the world,” said Owen Jenkins, the British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste.

“I am proud of our new Women in STEM Scholarship (WIS) supporting women from Indonesia and South East Asia to study STEM related subjects at Masters level. Through this scholarship with three leading UK University partners, we hope to to inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in STEM.” said Hugh Moffatt, Country Director British Council in Indonesia.

“By the year 2030, Indonesia will face a critical shortage of STEM professionals and skilled workers needed to build the government’s ambitious infrastructure program and prepare Indonesia to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2045. The MENTARI program aims to be part of this effort by improving the regulatory framework and investment environment for one particular type of infrastructure: Renewable energy technologies, which will power the country towards low-carbon development. However, energy – and particularly power generation- has been a traditionally male-dominated sector. To ensure equitable opportunities and to bridge the gender gap in these and other part’s of the economy, the British Council’s