The percentage of women in scientific work in our country is still small compared to Europe. There are still fewer female scientists in the Czech Republic than male scientists. Most of them work in the fields of medicine, humanities, and agriculture. In the technical and natural sciences, only about 15% are employed. However, women are not prevented from making decisions by their educational background. There are three times as many women with PhDs as women working in the private sector. The main reason why women cannot even start a career as a scientist is that it is impossible for them to combine their work with their role as mothers. Yet even today, there are brave women who are engaged in science at the same level as their male counterparts. And in many cases, they are more successful in their field.

Last year, a panel of experts ranked the 10 most successful scientists in the world, and the results were published in Nature. Four were men and six were women. This clearly indicates that women are becoming more prominent in the scientific field. Biologists, epidemiologists, mathematicians. And February 11 is the International Day of Women Scientists, and all six women scientists are to be congratulated and thanked. Last year\’s most outstanding person was Chinese epidemiologist Li Lanjuan. He succeeded in halting the spread of the virus in the first phase by declaring a quarantine. It was initially considered the wrong decision. But in the end it was hailed as the only right decision; the second recipient of the award was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden.

Working with her advisor, biochemist Juliette Gerard, she announced strict epidemic control measures throughout the country. This prevented mass outbreaks. The logistics coordinator, atmospheric physicist and scientist Verena Mohaupt, received the award for her one-year mission to Antarctica. In the medical field, Adi Utalini received the award. She is a scientist working in the field of public health at Gadjah Mada University. Her contribution is the discovery of a vaccine for the deadly disease dengue fever. At the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Katrin Janssen, head of vaccine research and development, contributed to the project. The result was Prevnar, an effective product. Chanda Pulskod-Weinstein is the sixth female scientist to receive the award. She is an assistant professor of physics at the University of New Hampshire. Her research focuses on dark matter. She conducts research in astrophysics, a field that most of us can\’t wrap our heads around.