Gender Justice in STEM Research in Africa
A project comprising a network of women change-makers and male allies focused on one goal: Towards achieving gender justice in STEM research in Africa. Our network has members from universities and NGOs based in Kenya, Uganda, Sweden, South Africa, Zambia, and the United Kingdom.
Our Goal
Creating pathways for gender justice in STEM research in Africa.
“We’re not here to say pink and princesses are bad, we just want girls to know they can build their own castles, too!”
– Debbie Sterling, Founder GoldieBlox and spokesperson, and advocate for women in engineering and technology
About Us
The Pathway to Change: Towards Gender Justice in STEM Research in Africa (GeJuSTA) project aimed to address the persistent underrepresentation of women in STEM fields across Africa by tackling systemic barriers and fostering inclusive environments through research, mentorship, and policy engagement. The project was implemented through a multi-country, multi-disciplinary approach involving academic and industry partnerships in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia. The objectives which translated into different work packages (WP) of the project were:
WP 1
Examining Barriers and Enablers for Women in STEM Research
WP 2
Increasing Women Representation in Data Science in Africa
WP 3
Mainstreaming Gender Analysis and Gender-aware Design Methodologies
WP 4
GeJuSTA Academy: Supporting Early-Career Women Researchers in Africa
WP 5
Analyzing the Underrepresentation of Women in Cybersecurity in an African Context
WP 1
Examining Barriers and Enablers for Women in STEM Research
WP 2
Increasing Women Representation in Data Science in Africa
WP 3
Mainstreaming Gender Analysis and Gender-aware Design Methodologies
WP 4
GeJuSTA Academy: Supporting Early-Career Women Researchers in Africa
WP 5
Analyzing the Underrepresentation of Women in Cybersecurity in an African Context
WP 1
Examining Barriers and Enablers for Women in STEM Research
WP 2
Increasing Women Representation in Data Science in Africa
WP 3
Mainstreaming Gender Analysis and Gender-aware Design Methodologies
WP 4
GeJuSTA Academy: Supporting Early-Career Women Researchers in Africa
WP 5
Analyzing the Underrepresentation of Women in Cybersecurity in an African Context
Key achievements of the project include the development and implementation of gender-just co-design methodologies, which provided an inclusive and participatory framework for empowering women from local communities, and addressing gender disparities in STEM. The project successfully launched the GeJuSTA Academy, which provided mentorship and career development support to early-career women researchers. Through workshops, webinars, hackathons, and stakeholder engagements, the project fostered increased awareness of gender-related challenges within higher education institutions and the broader STEM ecosystem.
“People ask me all the time: ‘What is it like to be a woman at Google?’ I’m not a woman at Google, I’m a geek at Google. And being a geek is just great. I’m a geek, I like to code, I even like to use spreadsheets when I cook.”
– Marissa Mayer, Technologist and former CEO of Yahoo.
“We’re not here to say pink and princesses are bad, we just want girls to know they can build their own castles, too!”
– Debbie Sterling, Founder GoldieBlox and spokesperson, and advocate for women in engineering and technology
