On 20th September, the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group hosted a side event in Pretoria, South Africa, on Closing the Gender Gap in STI. Building on the first G20 Women & Girls in Science Side Event held in February 2025, the second convening moved beyond dialogue to focus on accelerating action for gender-responsive policies, equitable funding frameworks, and systemic transformation across education, research, and innovation systems.
The Mawazo Institute nominated 2025 Mawazo Fellow Vuyiseka Ntsalu from South Africa, who is a PhD candidate in Health and Life Sciences at Nelson Mandela University. Besides being an underrepresented woman in STEM herself, Vuyiseka has also been a staunch advocate of getting more South African boys and girls interested in STEM. When she was young, the only person she knew who had a conventionally ‘successful’ career, was a lawyer. It took the intervention of a well meaning, dedicated teacher to set her on her current path of a STEM field.
Vuyiseka believes that interest in STEM must begin early, and by working with various local organisations, including YouthQuake, she provides career guidance to young people encouraging them to consider STEM subjects in school.
In her role as a panellist at the G20 side event, she outlined several barriers for young South African girls interested in STEM. Firstly, she highlighted economic inequality as a significant impediment for young people hoping to access top academic institutions. Economic inequality can also be connected to disruptive lifestyles that influence a student’s daily life and ability to maintain good grades. Secondly, Vuyiseka outlined potential cultural barriers including gendered stereotypes of STEM professions, language accessibility issues, and general negative perceptions on the difficulties of STEM subjects in academia.
Vuyiseka went on to suggest that more attention should be paid to the curriculum in early education, as well as introducing subjects in later years that deal with career choices. She believes that with more encouragement, and early demystifying of STEM subjects, major cultural concerns would be addressed.
Post the event, she shared that she was,
“Grateful to have represented my country, province, and community at the G20 W20 Side Event. I had the privilege of sharing my STEM journey with learners and encouraging them to keep chasing their dreams. A heartfelt thank you to the Mawazo Institute for this incredible opportunity and the unwavering support, as well as for ensuring I was well-prepared to tell my story and represent the Mawazo Institute with pride. The world truly needs more institutions like Mawazo: ones that mentor and equip women with the skills and resources to give back to their communities and help bridge the socioeconomic gaps across our continent.”
