Public policies for gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM): challenges for the economic autonomy of women and transformative recovery in Latin America

The fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, commonly referred to by the acronym STEM, have emerged as a promising area in which to address the current digital revolution and accelerated technological change, exacerbated and complicated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Can STEM serve as a path to gender equality and economic autonomy for women in Latin America? The question is gaining ground. This report addresses an ongoing debate in the region in recent decades that must be reframed to meet an urgent need for new solutions and, above all, to transcend one-dimensional approaches to gender inequalities. This document identifies both potential and evident links between gender equality and STEM, along with trends observed in public agendas. Key issues addressed here include the ways in which links between STEM and gender equality are visible in the region; the problems they recognize or address; conclusions to be drawn from developed policies and initiatives; and the potential of STEM fields and skills to overcome the structural challenges of gender inequality in a post-pandemic context.