Women Leading Research
Women Leading Research
Women have been significantly present and undeniably influential in scientific research since the very beginning. The involvement of women in research has, however, been changing with time.
During the early times, the participation of women in studying science was much greater than what it is today. Women from various early civilizations have contributed to science. Merit Ptah, an ancient Egyptian is possibly the oldest known female scientist qualified in physics. We have several Greek women like Agamede, who was known as a healer in the times before the Trojan war, and Theano, a mathematician and physician who also was a pupil of Pythagoras. Studying natural philosophy in ancient Greece was not limited by gender. While the Babylonians reigned, two women were able to extract plant essences using extraction and distillation. At the time of the Egyptian rule, women mastered applied chemistry from the act of crafting beer to making medicinal compounds. Hypatia of Alexandria taught astronomy and mathematics at a school. She wrote three major papers on astronomy, geometry and algebra and invented a hydrometer and a water distillation device. She was killed by a Parabalani who stripped and dismembered her and burned the pieces of her body. Her death was called the death of women in science for a very long period.
English mathematician Ada Lovelace, corresponded with Charles Babbage about applications for his analytical engine. It is said that she was the first to write a computer program.
Near the eighteenth century, a lot of women made substantial advances in scientific studies. However, they were considered to be overly emotional and incapable of the rational perspective. People started believing that the duties of women were limited to their partners and children. With the approach of the nineteenth century, women were increasingly excluded from pursuing a formal education in science. They started turning to educational societies to seek new opportunities.
Though it is hard to decide a single most prominent reason for such trends, it can roughly be called an impact of the dismissive nature of the society. Forty women have been awarded the Nobel Prize between 1901 and 2010. Seventeen women have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine.
Women from the more recent years who have made significant contributions:
Marie Curie conducted notable research on radioactive decay and was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. She was also the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in two different fields – Physics and Chemistry. Curie didn’t consider her gender as the greatest obstacle in her career. She says, “I have suffered much more from the lack of resources and funds than I ever did from being a woman.”
Marie Tharp, a geologist and oceanographer, was the first woman to battle the belief that the seabed was plain and featureless. She created maps that demonstrated the varied topography of the ocean floor which may be the cause of major tsunamis and earthquakes, thus laying the foundation for an entire research of the ocean bed in connection to various natural calamities.
Rosalind Franklin was the one person who found out the similarities between coal, the major source of energy then, viruses, one of the most significant lifeforms and DNA, the source of life – their structure. She lived only 37 years, but the story of her triumph over sexism continues to inspire millions of women who want to pursue a career in research.
When we’re in the middle of a health emergency, we don’t typically call up a statistician but considering the situation with COVID-19, numbers and the study of their trends is very important in formulating measures to control, say an epidemic. Florence Nightingale is popular for her work in medicine but her pioneering work in statistics is lesser known when in fact, it is this research that might have helped her save more lives. Iravati Karve, renowned anthropologist presided over the Anthropology division of the National Science Congress in 1947. She wrote extensively on a wide variety of academic subjects. Her writings include the highly acclaimed book 'Yuganta' which won the Sahitya Academy Award.
Recently, two women, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A Doudna were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a method of genome editing. This is a revolution for biomedical science. It is the first time two women have shared the prize. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, less than 30% of the researchers in the world are women. A reason that women are barely present in the narratives of science is that the number of women entering the fields of study in STEM is very low in comparison to men. The thought that women are failing science is a very common one, but all the data from around the world says differently. It is in fact science that is failing women, with its unfair treatment towards female researchers, unjust recognition of their work, and denial of equal payment in terms of money and opportunities. We must try to bridge this gap to truly achieve technological advancement.
Although we must be cautious not to overestimate how women were significantly active in science, it is important to remember those women scientists who did contribute to the different fields immensely and the barriers that they overcame to do so. May we continue to carry their legacy forward by encouraging more women to make an impact through STEM.
