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International research and organisations focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have, for years, addressed the problem of the underrepresentation of women in careers in these fields. This issue is critical when considering that diversity in working teams can provide enhanced solutions to pressing world problems. However, empirical studies have recently shown that careers related to the environment and sustainability are more appealing to women. In this context, this study aims to explore whether female participation has an enhanced role in the incorporation of sustainability processes at a STEM higher education entity.

This case study of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Chile (FPMS) was examined as a descriptive statistical analysis. It was developed using a two-scope methodology: the historical perspective and the current state lens in the main higher education dimensions of teaching, research and outreach. A set of indicators was created to demonstrate whether the engagement of women in sustainability-focused endeavours was significantly higher than in activities or areas that are not closely related to sustainable development.

The main findings show that within the FPMS, sustainability has provided a space for women to further engage and become change agents in a STEM environment. This case study finds that sustainability is an area of interest and attraction for women in engineering and science at the higher education level, with the potential implications of challenging existing gender stereotypes in STEM disciplines and contributing to meeting sustainability standards by increasing diversity within teams.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to adopt this approach and research question in Chile and Latin America.

Shortly before the Second World War, a woman who had never accepted her orphan status, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, nicknamed ‘Little Coco’ by her father and known as ‘Coco’ to her relatives, became the first women in history to build a world-class industrial empire. By 1935, Coco, a fashion designer and industry captain, was employing more than 4,000 workers and had sold more than 28,000 dresses, tailored jackets and women's suits. Born into a poor family and raised in an orphanage, she enjoyed an intense social life in Paris in the 1920s, rubbing shoulders with artists, creators and the rising stars of her time.

Thanks to her entrepreneurial skills, she was able to innovate in her methods and in her trendsetting approach to fashion design and promotion. Coco Chanel was committed and creative, had the soul of an entrepreneur and went on to become a world leader in a brand new sector combining fashion, accessories and perfumes that she would help shape. By the end of her life, she had redefined French elegance and revolutionized the way people dressed.