As of this Monday (8), Rio de Janeiro has a new instrument to promote gender equality in scientific production. Law 11,213, which deals with the matter, was sanctioned by the acting governor, judge Ricardo Couto, already published in the state's Official Gazette, which establishes the Legal Framework Mothers in Science. The legislation establishes guidelines to guarantee support for mothers and adopters in undergraduate and postgraduate studies, ensuring fairer conditions for retention and academic progression. Related news: Registration open for the 5th National Energy Efficiency Olympiad. MEC Idiomas: new platform offering English and Spanish for free. The law prohibits the adoption of discriminatory criteria against candidates due to pregnancy, childbirth, birth of a child, adoption or judicial custody for the purposes of adoption in all selection processes and renewal of research, teaching and extension grants. At the same time, the law prohibits asking questions about family planning in interviews, assessments or application documents, unless the candidate expresses her intention to address the topic. State public universities, as well as the Carlos Chagas Filho Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Faperj), must adopt equity and recognition mechanisms within the scope of the Mothers in Science Legal Framework. The legislation will observe the didactic-scientific, administrative and financial management autonomy of higher education institutions and the objectives of the State Program to Encourage the Protagonism of Women in Science. The law recognizes care work, especially maternity and adoption, in the assessment of academic merit, scientific productivity and curricular analysis, for scoring purposes in selection processes for scholarships and monitoring notices, scientific initiation, extension, master's, doctorate and post-doctorate. Strengthening According to the Rio de Janeiro government, through its press office, Faperj already maintains actions aimed at strengthening female participation in science. The Mothers in Science Legal Framework reinforces, among other Faperj actions, the Support Program for Mother Scientists, aimed at researchers linked to research institutions in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The initiative offers assistance of up to R$120,000 per project to support the resumption and continuity of scientific production by researchers who have had children in recent years and also mothers of children with disabilities. Measures were also adopted by the Foundation that consider the period of maternity leave in the evaluation of academic curricula, the granting of maternity leave for scholarship holders and the possibility of including expenses related to child care in certain funding notices. According to the president of Faperj, Caroline Alves, "when we support a scientist mother, we are not just investing in a researcher. We are investing in a family, in a future generation and in the strengthening of all science." She admitted that, for a long time, women had to choose between motherhood and an academic career. “Today, our commitment is to ensure that no woman has to give up one dream to achieve another,” said Caroline. More encouragement According to Faperj, encouraging female participation in science also occurs through the Support Program for Young Female Scientist Dr. Tatiana Sampaio. This program is aimed at researchers with up to 12 years of doctorate and aims to increase the presence of women in scientific leadership positions. In 2026, the notice received an investment of R$10 million. In addition to financial support, Faperj promotes actions to enhance and give visibility to researchers from Rio de Janeiro, such as the Women in Science event, which brings together researchers, managers and institutions to debate challenges and public policies aimed at gender equity, and the Women in Science Award, which recognizes outstanding trajectories in various areas of knowledge.