Thought For The Day – Wednesday 11th February 2026
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Today is the Eleventh “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”.
The theme for 2026 is: “From Vision to Impact: Closing the Gender Gap”.
This important and profound statement reminds us that equality, as well as being a vital belief, is an essential practice, a verb, something that is done and should be done.
This theme involves challenging all negative prejudice and negative discrimination, including conscious and unconscious biases, misconceptions, and stereotypes in Science, and beyond.
Glass ceilings are shattered and opportunities created and given.
This theme also involves celebrating, communicating, encouraging, empowering, including, and making visible inspiring herstories of the leadership of Women and Girls in Science, and beyond.
By empirically exploring the universe, and all in it, Science benefits all. Science is integral to our past, present, and future.
The leadership of Women and Girls, wonderfully seen, for example, in Science, Health, and Medicine, including in the recent global pandemic, massively enhances, and enriches, life, everyone, and everything.
Such leadership is not only the human right of Women and Girls.
This leadership of Women and Girls also progresses, protects, safeguards, and inspires all other human rights. Inclusion, which is never partial, includes, inspires, helps, and supports everyone.
We most certainly see this in Science at T.B.S.H.S., from the invaluable work of laboratory technicians, to teaching staff, to sixth form students. The Bishop’s Stortford High School is not “the boys’ high”. The second photograph, pictured above, was taken last year.
We also take this opportunity to pay great tribute to the equally important and wonderful witness and work of Women and Girls in the equally essential (also broadly) scientific subjects of Computer Science, Mathematics, and the Environmental, Psychological, Physical and Social Sciences.
And we give the very greatest thanks for all Women and Girls do, and have done, for all lives and the world.
We very much look forward to International Women’s Day on the 8th of March 2026 and Mothering Sunday on the 15th of March 2026 The very appropriate themes of the former in 2026 are: “Rights, Justice and Action For All Women And Girls” and “Give To Gain”.
