Universidade Católica Portuguesa celebrates International Women's Day with three women’s testimonials
In the week that International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8, Universidade Católica Portuguesa presents three female testimonials on Leadership, Science, and the Future.
With Isabel Capeloa Gil, Rector of UCP and creator of the first task force for women leaders, in the scope of the International Federation of Catholic Universities; Célia Manaia, Professor at the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, researcher at the Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina and one of the 10 most cited Portuguese scientists in the world; and Mariana Morais Sarmento, alumna of CATÓLICA-LISBON and currently studying International Development Research at the University of Amsterdam, these testimonies underline the importance of everyone's commitment to gender equality.
Investing in Female Leadership
The testimony of the Rector of UCP highlights the importance of leadership training, through the creation of a strategic program across the institution to support the development and career of UCP students, faculty, and staff.
"We live in a society where unequal access of women to leadership positions is still a reality. In our university, which is a little over 50 years old, we are an exemplary case in Portugal with two female rectors. Two female rectors when we look at the panorama of higher education in Portugal over 700 years ago and we see that in all these years the Portuguese higher education system has only produced 8 female rectors", says Isabel Capeloa Gil.
The Rector of the UCP explains that it is necessary to "change the perception. The glass ceiling is not a legal glass ceiling, but a cultural glass ceiling". As an institution, Isabel Capeloa Gil argues that UCP should act by example: "It is necessary to inspire new generations. And after this inspiration by example it is necessary to produce and promote mentoring".
Giving Women Opportunities in Science
Besides the investment in female leadership, a more equal society also entails that the area of science has no barriers for women.
In her testimony, researcher Célia Manaia highlights the importance of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 5, dedicated to Gender Equality.
"Throughout time, access to science has not been equal for men and women, suffice it to say that of the more than 600 Nobel prizes awarded in 120 years, only 58 have gone to women," she begins.
"It is this imbalance that needs to be addressed. Access to education and the lucidity that scientific research inspires has the enormous power to shape attitudes, open horizons, and reject unfounded prejudices and fears. It is the only way for societies to develop, to sustain the economy, the environment, and social balance. And it really needs the balanced, fair, and equitable contribution of men and women," says Professor Célia Manaia.
Watch Professor Célia Manaia's video
The role of Women in Peace
However, to achieve an egalitarian future, it is not enough to guarantee more equality in science, education, and leadership.
Mariana Morais Sarmento, a UCP alumna, recalls the importance of women in maintaining peace and how "security is the basic condition for the future of any living being.
"The future for women involves the active and continuous participation of women in the construction, evaluation, and monitoring of peace and conflict. For this, it is necessary to identify and transform the inequalities of rights between men and women, as well as the disparities of power in relations between men and women," she explains.
Watch Mariana Morais Sarmento's video