Women in southern African are being encouraged to study maths and science to contribute more to the socio-economic development of the region. Studying these subjects would boost their involvement in decision-making that affects agriculture, food security and poverty alleviation, said delegates at the Southern Africa Mathematics and Science Association (SAMSA) meeting last Wednesday (30 November) in Malawi. At present, a mathematics or science class in southern Africa has just two or three women for every seven or eight men, according to SciDev.