Women in Colombia Show Greater Concern About Environmental and Institutional Challenges: Study
While women express higher levels of concern about climate change and
public institutions, they also demonstrate strong confidence in education and
scientific knowledge as key tools for addressing the future of Colombia.
public institutions, they also demonstrate strong confidence in education and
scientific knowledge as key tools for addressing the future of Colombia.
A recent analysis by the Social Research Center found that women in Colombia express higher levels of concern and uncertainty regarding the climate crisis and the lack of trust in the country's institutions. However, they also show greater confidence in education and science as tools for addressing future challenges.
The study on perceptions, expectations, and collective imaginaries about Colombia's future, based on 299 responses from citizens of different ages and regions across the country, explored how participants envision Colombia in 2046, the risks they identify, the opportunities they consider most important, and the characteristics they expect the country to have in the coming decades.
The results show that women tend to experience higher levels of uncertainty about the future. Fifty-three percent reported feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, or fear when thinking about Colombia in 2046. By comparison, uncertainty among men reached 44%.
Furthermore, an analysis of the responses shows that 74% of women identified the climate crisis and the destruction of ecosystems as one of the country's main future risks, compared with 60% of men. This suggests that women perceive the risks associated with environmental degradation and its potential impacts over the coming decades more intensely. This finding is consistent with several regional and global studies showing that women are often the most affected when major natural disasters occur.
In this regard, Nidya Pesántez, Regional Lead for the Gender, Environment and Climate Justice Strategy at UN Women, recently told the media that "women also play a key role as agents of change, but their knowledge is generally not incorporated into climate policies."
Another finding of the study shows that 67% of women consider the crisis of trust in the government, parliament, and judicial system to be one of the main threats to the country's future. Among men, this perception reached 58%.
However, despite these concerns, the results also show that women maintain high levels of confidence in several institutions considered essential for addressing future challenges.
Sixty-three percent expressed confidence in the education system and 60% in the scientific and academic community, making them two of the most highly valued institutions among women. This suggests that there remains a significant level of hope in the role that knowledge, education, and science can play in building a better future.
Finally, regarding perceptions of the future of work, the study found some differences in how women envision the transformations that technology and artificial intelligence will bring to the country. Forty-five percent believe that work will become more collective and community-oriented, compared with 41% of men. Likewise, 38% believe that professions will be supervised by artificial intelligence systems, while this perception rises to 47% among men.
These findings suggest that women envision a future of work in which human collaboration will continue to play an important role, even amid the growing technological transformations taking place around the world today.
The study on perceptions, expectations, and collective imaginaries about Colombia's future, based on 299 responses from citizens of different ages and regions across the country, explored how participants envision Colombia in 2046, the risks they identify, the opportunities they consider most important, and the characteristics they expect the country to have in the coming decades.
The results show that women tend to experience higher levels of uncertainty about the future. Fifty-three percent reported feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, or fear when thinking about Colombia in 2046. By comparison, uncertainty among men reached 44%.
Furthermore, an analysis of the responses shows that 74% of women identified the climate crisis and the destruction of ecosystems as one of the country's main future risks, compared with 60% of men. This suggests that women perceive the risks associated with environmental degradation and its potential impacts over the coming decades more intensely. This finding is consistent with several regional and global studies showing that women are often the most affected when major natural disasters occur.
In this regard, Nidya Pesántez, Regional Lead for the Gender, Environment and Climate Justice Strategy at UN Women, recently told the media that "women also play a key role as agents of change, but their knowledge is generally not incorporated into climate policies."
Another finding of the study shows that 67% of women consider the crisis of trust in the government, parliament, and judicial system to be one of the main threats to the country's future. Among men, this perception reached 58%.
However, despite these concerns, the results also show that women maintain high levels of confidence in several institutions considered essential for addressing future challenges.
Sixty-three percent expressed confidence in the education system and 60% in the scientific and academic community, making them two of the most highly valued institutions among women. This suggests that there remains a significant level of hope in the role that knowledge, education, and science can play in building a better future.
Finally, regarding perceptions of the future of work, the study found some differences in how women envision the transformations that technology and artificial intelligence will bring to the country. Forty-five percent believe that work will become more collective and community-oriented, compared with 41% of men. Likewise, 38% believe that professions will be supervised by artificial intelligence systems, while this perception rises to 47% among men.
These findings suggest that women envision a future of work in which human collaboration will continue to play an important role, even amid the growing technological transformations taking place around the world today.