Mujeres atomicas / Atomic women

Female Power at the Heart of Argentina Nuclear Energy

Immersed in the greenery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, the Ezeiza Atomic Center is a world where science embraces creativity, passion, and above all, female power.
Here, in the heart of Argentina, in a country that has stood out in recent years for its battles for human rights and the fight against gender violence, women stand as undisputed pillars of innovation and research in the field of ‘nuclear energy.
Women scientists play fundamental roles and direct the key divisions of the CNEA (Comisiòn Nacional de Energia Atomica), from the presidency to various managements, from the important production of radioisotopes to the creation of radiopharmaceuticals essential for public health, up to the Prompt gamma neutrography or the fight against diseases currently in the limelight such as dengue or Chikungunya.

CNEA in Argentina operates various power plants scattered across the country, each with different types of reactors depending on the type of energy generated through uranium fission. This process releases neutrons and heat. Power reactor plants use heat to produce electricity and are larger in size. On the contrary, reactors that use neutrons, such as the RA3 reactor in Ezeiza, produce radioisotopes for medical use, such as Molybdenum 99 (Mo-99) and 131 (I-131) for fusion.

“Las Mujeres Atómicas” is not only a visual exploration of nuclear energy in Argentina, but a tribute to the contribution of women in science and innovation. In an era in which nuclear energy is at the center of global discussions on energy and the future of our planet, Argentina stands out as a pioneer and her model is studied by various world powers.

The work has also an important social and political aspect because, in a country that has stood out in recent years for its battles for human rights and the fight against gender violence and equality, after the recent presidential elections of 2023 in which the far-right anarcho-ultraliberal Milei took power in the country, State employees as well as pensioners and teachers have been targeted by the ferocious economic cuts imposed by the government. CNEA is not an exception and the jobs of these women are at risk after the request for a 30% cut in the center’s staff. CNEA President Adriana Serquis publicly opposed these cuts but the future of these women, as well as that of hundreds of other employees, is all to be defined in a place where knowledge breaks down gender barriers and innovation is colored with diversity.