Gender stereotypes, prejudice, and a male-dominated culture in certain scientific disciplines are the factors that continue to influence, even in 2018, women’s low interest in fields such as engineering and technology, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). To help reverse this situation in the country, Universidad ORT Uruguay Women’s Month in March with a competitive scholarship fund: Mujer 2018. This fund offers the opportunity to receive an 80% scholarship, which will be awarded to those who begin studying Electrical Engineering,Electronic Engineering, orTelecommunications Engineering on or after March 19, 2018.
In Uruguay, women account for only 24% of those entering engineering programs, and when focusing specifically on electrical engineering, that percentage drops to 17%, according to the Statistical Yearbook on Education published by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The scholarship is open to students entering university for the first time. Interested students must apply for one of the university’s existing scholarship funds for undergraduate programs, select one of the three programs mentioned, schedule a meeting with an academic advisor, and take the Academic Aptitude Test (PAA). The student who obtains the highest score on the test will be awarded the scholarship covering 80% of the total cost of the degree program. The results will be announced on Monday, March 26, 2018.
Those who were already registered and had applied for a scholarship fund will automatically be considered for this opportunity. If they do not win the 2018 Women’s Competitive Scholarship Fund, they will retain the scholarship percentage they were initially awarded.