If access to science and academia is already a challenge for girls and women, it’s even greater for Black women. Listen to the podcast.
By Catarina Marcolin and Zélia Maria da Costa Ludwig
According to Brazil’s national statistics agency (IBGE), white women are 2.6 times more likely to have completed higher education than Black women.
When it comes to research and training grants, participation of Black individuals declines at higher academic levels — for both genders, and even more sharply for women. A 2015 survey by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) revealed that although Black students were well represented in undergraduate research grants, their presence dropped drastically at the doctoral level. Among all productivity research grants that year, only 34% were awarded to women, and just 7% went to Black women, out of 14,040 total grants.
To discuss these barriers, we interviewed several women who are fighting for space in the arts, science, and technology.