Women's Participation, Research and Innovation in Chemistry: Trends and Challenges in Higher Education

Abstract: The Women’s involvement in the area of chemistry has increased dramatically in recent decades, gender differences still exist, especially in research leadership, innovation management and senior academic representation. Pharmaceuticals, ecological and sustainable chemistry, environmental analysis, nanotechnology and the development of industrial chemical technologies have all benefited from the significant contributions of female scientists. The breadth and worldwide influence of women’s contributions to the chemical sciences are amply demonstrated by the ground-breaking work of scientists like Marie Curie in radioactivity, Rosalind Franklin in molecular structure studies, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin in biomolecular crystallography, Kamala Sohonie in biochemistry and nutrition, Carolyn Bertozzi in bio-orthogonal chemistry techniques, and Asima Chatterjee in medicinal and organic chemistry. Despite these successes, women are still underrepresented in high-level policy and strategic decision-making bodies, patent filings and principal investigator positions. This conceptual paper explores the increasing number of women in higher education in the field of chemistry, highlighting their creative outputs, high-calibre research, and academic productivity. The social, institutional, and professional obstacles that affect their academic progress are also rigorously assessed. In order to support, maintain, and advance women’s long-term advancement in academic and research careers in chemistry, the study also suggests crucial institutional support networks and policy changes.