My greatest desire as a parent is to bring up a daughter who is capable beyond measure. A daughter whose only limit is her imagination. As an author, sometimes, I think I should really focus on books on my blog only but seriously that would be just a waste of my blogging space. Books, in my opinion, are there to inspire imagination and creativity. However, they should go hand-in-hand with inspirational stories that are not always found in a book. As a woman, I hear a lot of stories about discrimination against women. Most notable is the gender pay gap. When I was asked to publish an infographic about women in space, I jumped at it.
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Women in Space
Did you know that since 1961, 550 people have been to space but less than 11% have been women?
- The UK has sent the highest percentage of women to space, currently 50%. That may sound impressive, but excluding dual nationals, only two Brits have ever reached Earth orbit – one man and one woman.
- The US has sent the highest number of women to space, 46 so far. As a big investor in space exploration this figure comes in at a disappointing 14% of the total American astronauts sent to space.
- Despite sending 11 nationals into space, Germany has sent no women.
“There are many factors at play as to why so few women have ventured into space. Clearly historical attitudes regarding the roles of women in society are still impacting many industries. By highlighting this lack of female representation in space science and engineering, we’re hoping to add to the global conversation on gender equality and encourage more women to pursue careers in these fulfilling industries.
The fact is, women make up 50% of the population and, if we want to create a world for everyone, should have an equal voice in all sectors. With space now attracting vast amounts of private funding from companies like SpaceX, and with the pace of technological advancements in the sector, space exploration and all it has to offer will no doubt play a huge role in our future. Let’s make sure women are there helping to shape it.”
Quote from Laura Giddings, Education Events Manager at RS Components.
