No,
thank you very much, but it’s not necessary.
We don’t need an international day for the girl and woman scientist
to achieve full and equal access and participation in science,
to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women.
For THAT,
we need to not be undervalued, made invisible, or silenced,
not to be ignored, looked at with condescension or paternalism,
not to be made to believe that science is not for us.
We need to be allowed to express ourselves, choose, and fight for what we want.
We need role models who inspire and move us.
And, above all,
we need our potentials to be recognized from a young age,
to be supported, motivated, and truly believed in,
to have trust in us,
to be listened to, to be taken into account,
to be recognized, admired, and given the place we deserve
based on our abilities and our work.
We need to be treated as qualified students and professionals
and be fairly compensated for it.
And leave us alone,
let us be the girl or the woman we want to be!
That’s all that’s needed.

We end with the “standard image” to lighten up this celebration day.