For another year, the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) is celebrating Women and Girls in Science Day with an activity that aims to highlight the great work of our female researchers. It also aims to break the gender stereotypes that are still associated with scientific practice and to show that their work is very different from elitist stereotypes. The underlying message is that science is within the reach of everyone who wants to pursue it.

In this edition, 130 children aged between 10 and 12 took part in a visit to different laboratories at VHIR. In each laboratory, a female researcher gave a hands-on talk about why she studied science, what she does in her day-to-day work and what she likes best about her job. The students were able to see a sample of the variety of topics and techniques used in biomedical research.  Amongst many others, they visited labs dedicated to the treatment of cancer, migraine headaches, vision problems and the use of new technologies to improve diagnosis.

At the end of the tours, the different classes met to analyse and reflect on what they had learned. To conclude, each child wrote their thoughts and feelings about the day and science in general on a card and placed it on two artificial trees. These trees will decorate the recently inaugurated central building of the VHIR.

Reaching an ever-increasing number of schools

One of the objectives of this edition was to reach out to every school that contacted the Institute. For reasons of space and logistics, the visits were limited to only six classes of three schools. The selection was made on the basis of several factors, including the proximity and the complexity of the school. The aim was to promote sustainability, neighbourhood engagement, equal opportunities and social inclusion.The other schools were offered capsules created by our researchers: short videos in which they explain their research, why they decided to go into science and what they like most about their profession. The videos end with open questions designed to generate debate and reflection among the students, which will be worked on in class.

Research is an increasingly female-dominated field

Biomedical research is an increasingly feminised field, although the 'scissors effect' still exists, where the graph is reversed in positions of greater responsibility. At the VHIR, women are in the majority in all job categories except group leaders, an inequality that is gradually being corrected. Accordingly, the VHIR data for 2024 confirm a slight but steady increase in the number of female researchers in all job categories and in the number of projects and publications led by women. The new generations are continuing this pattern, with 77% of the graduates in the 10 editions of the Master's in Translational Biomedical Research and 70% of the enrolments in the first edition of the Master's in Management and Coordination of Clinical Trials.

At the Vall d'Hebron Campus, women are also in the majority in all medical categories (doctors, nurses and other professionals), as well as in administrative and support areas.