Latin America has the world's highest rate of female researchers, the head of the Science Policy and Sustainable Development Division of UNESCO said Wednesday.

During a speech at the "Ecosystems of Innovation in Latin America: policies, institutions and impact," Lidia Brito said 45 percent of the scientific researchers in Latin America are women making it the highest for any region in the world.

The program was held through Friday in Montevideo, Uruguay at the Spanish Training and Cooperation Center.

Brito provided the figures regarding the region's research and development situation that showed 30 percent of the new science Ph.D. holders in the region come from Brazil and Mexico.

According to the latest "Science Report" produced by UNESCO, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico produce 90 percent of R&D investment while Brazil has 60 percent of that funding.

More women in Latin America and the Caribbean all together are obtaining university degrees and academic distinctions in science and technology disciplines.

Yet, men continue to dominate research in most countries in the region. In Chile and Honduras, 70 percent of researchers are male. 

"Although more women are studying for postgraduate degrees, especially doctoral degrees, the retention rate for women falls as the research career advances," the report says.

"Research shows that many women ... must choose between motherhood and career advancement."

Lucía Scuro, social affairs officer in the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean's Division for Gender Affairs, told SciDev.Net, "Stereotypes associated with science tend to be masculine. Boys are subtly encouraged towards maths, engineering and technology, and girls to social and caring areas."

"The tensions between women's family and social responsibilities, and the challenges posed by careers in S&T discourage women from studying S&T or force them to abandon such jobs," she added.

Some countries implement programs to encourage women to take advantage of more challenging subjects such as Costa Rica's Science and Gender Unit added to its science ministry in 2010.