14–16 September 2026
JNU, New Delhi, India
The generally lower numbers of women in STEM education and professions have been a concern for a long time, and numerous studies across disciplines inform policies aimed at increasing their numbers worldwide, but the growth is slow and it varies across countries. Why do we find fewer women in STEM in many parts of the world? This is the key question a series of workshops in several countries worldwide aims to address, by bringing together researchers and policymakers working on gender and STEM, both in industry and academia. The fourth workshop of the series will take place in New Delhi from September 14th to 16th, 2026. The inaugural workshop took place in Heidelberg on October 8 and 9, 2025, followed by the second workshop in Kyoto on November 28 and 29, 2025, and the third workshop in Santiago de Chile march 30 – April 1st 2026. Some of the topics we intend to discuss during the workshop include the fundamental narratives surrounding women and STEM: Is it clear that women would unambiguously benefit from entering STEM, and thus behave irrationally if they refrain from doing so? Is the focus on women and on how they differ from the “male default” the best way to reach inclusive environments? Can focusing on structures rather than on individual choices help explain why STEM is less attractive to women than to men? The prevalence of sexism and sexual harassment, social identity issues, workplace and societal and cultural norms that negatively affect women in STEM are examples of (structural) aspects that have gained less attention than female characteristics and women´s preferences so far. And what about men? How can men be encouraged to enter non-STEM fields? What structural or individual factors make non-STEM fields less appealing to men than to women? How do men react when women enter STEM fields in larger numbers and their entry is strongly promoted? Beyond fostering exchange among researchers and practitioners, the series of workshops has a second, concrete structural aim: forming a network of researchers to collaborate on developing a large-scale, global panel study. This study will include, among other methods, survey experiments to test some of the ideas developed during the workshops across various countries and cultures. The workshop is organized as a mix of research presentations and small-group work sessions with researchers and STEM “practitioners” (from academia and the private sector). These work phases aim to develop concrete ideas for the larger panel study. To enable productive collaboration, a maximum of 30 participants from all relevant fields will be accepted to the workshop. We invite researchers from all fields working on topics relevant to the workshop's main theme to submit an abstract of up to 350 words to Christiane.schwieren@awi.uni-heidelberg.de by July 3rd, 2026. Information about acceptance will be sent out by July 10th, 2026. While workshop attendance is free, participants must cover their own travel costs. Target audience: Researchers from all fields working on topics related to STEM and gender & researchers & practitioners in STEM fields with an interest in the topic.
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