Portrait exhibition of Sino-French female researchers makes its debut in Beijing

Co-sponsored by the National Communication Center for Science and Technology (NCCST) affiliated with the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and the Embassy of France in China, a portrait exhibition of Sino-French female researchers (Exposition franco-chinoise La Science taille XX elles) opened at the NCCST on November 18, 2024.

Luo Hui, Executive Secretary and Director General of International Affairs of CAST, and Myriam Pavageau, Ambassador of the French Embassy in China,addressed the opening ceremony respectively.

Featuring 40 plus portraits of female leaders in science and technology from China and France, the exhibition seeks to draw international focus and shatter entrenched gender biases.

Despite their critical role, women in science often remain in the shadows, a pattern mirrored across various sectors. In Europe, women constitute 41% of the research workforce. In France, while half of the science graduates from high school are female, this number drops to 35% at the researcher level, with a mere 11% occupying senior academic roles. Since the inception of the Nobel Prize in Science in 1901, a mere 3% of the awards have been bestowed upon female scientists, highlighting a stark underrepresentation in the field.

In response to the underrepresentation of women in the scientific community, the National Center for Scientific Research (Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) and the FEMMES & SCIENCE association (F&S) have collaboratively launched the portrait exhibition since 2018. The portrait exhibition's international iteration makes its debut in Beijing, China in 2024.

This groundbreaking initiative aims to celebrate the pivotal role of women in science, highlight the vast array of disciplines and careers within the realms of science and technology, and motivate the audience to not only engage with these fields but also to consider embarking on scientific careers.

As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic ties between China and France, and with the support of the CNRS and the F&S, the French Embassy in China joins hands with the NCCST to present the portrait exhibition featuring Sino-French female researchers.

The exhibition debuts 20 newly photographed portraits of Chinese female researchers, underscoring the significance of scientists and Sino-French collaboration. Additionally, it showcases 20 portraits of French female researchers that have been previously photographed and displayed across 6 French cities, including Toulouse, Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, and Marseille.

Tag: National Communication Center for Science and Technology, International Affairs