International Day of Women and Girls in Science

February 11 marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
This celebration, proclaimed by a UN General Assembly resolution, has been observed since 2016. Its goal is to promote full and equal access for women and girls to science, ensure gender equality, and expand their rights and opportunities.

Science knows no gender. However, the path of women in the scientific world has always been challenging — they had to fight for the right to study, research, and make discoveries. We take pride in the fact that Karazin University was at the forefront of this struggle in Ukraine.

As early as the 19th century, our university opened its doors to women eager for knowledge. Women were allowed to attend university lectures, albeit only as free listeners. The progressive faculty of Kharkiv University (now Karazin University) actively promoted the idea of higher education for women and contributed to its establishment in the city. Thanks to the persistent efforts of the liberal-minded public, the first higher education institution for women in Kharkiv was opened in 1907 — the Higher Women's Courses, which had two schools: the School of History and Philology (with departments of History and Philology) and the School of Physics and Mathematics (with departments of Natural History and Mathematics).

The educational process was overseen by the Higher Pedagogical Council, consisting of professors and lecturers working at the courses. The Higher Women’s Courses brought together the most progressive academic and pedagogical staff, who saw their work in women's education as a crucial social mission. Among the professors were Dmytro Bahaliy, Vladyslav Buzeskul, Mykola Sumtsov, and many others. In 1917, women officially gained the right to study at the university on an equal footing with men.

Since then, the university's history has been inseparably linked to outstanding female scientists:

• Oleksandra Yefymenko – historian and ethnographer, the first woman to receive the title of Honorary Doctor of the university.
• Khrystyna Alchevska – university graduate and educator who founded and led a women's Sunday school in Kharkiv from 1862 to 1919. She was also the vice president of the International League of Education.
• Klara Roll – chemist, the first female professor in the university’s history, who taught and became a member of the Society of Physical and Chemical Sciences at the university.

Today, Karazin University’s women continue to break new ground in physics, chemistry, medicine, biology, artificial intelligence, and many other fields. The university actively supports gender equality in science and implements international programs, scientific projects, and initiatives aimed at supporting female researchers.

We congratulate all women dedicated to science, teaching, and research! You are not only transforming science — you are shaping the future.