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Ways to encourage women in Ecuador to pursue a career in physics

Abstract:

In Ecuador, as in many other Latin American countries, a considerable number of women are involved in science and engineering, yet the number of female physicists is unremarkable. To understand this situation, we first report the current situation of females involved in physics, and then we suggest some actions that could be taken to increase the number of physicists based on the perceptions held by Ecuadorian women in science and engineering. Four different female groups were surveyed: undergraduate engineering students; undergraduate physics students from San Francisco de Quito University (USFQ) and the National Polytechnic School (EPN); graduate physics students; and physicists. Included in the study are facts such as their status, proposed academic growth, and perspectives about this career. Finally, we outline strategies and recommendations for universities on how to integrate more women into physics.