Minister Nzimande says women are still underrepresented in research leadership and critical STEM disciplines [SOUND]

# Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, says South Africa’s development ambitions cannot be achieved while women and girls remain excluded from opportunities in science, technology and innovation. There has been progress in improving women’s participation in science and research, with women now constituting 52-percent of the academic workforce and 47.7-percent of the national research workforce. The department’s spokesperson, Veli Mbele, says early-career researchers continue to face structural barriers, while female-owned technology enterprises experience severe venture capital constraints: