Battle of the Sexes for Science
Science has existed as long as curiosity has existed. I chose the topic of women in science based on my interest for the subject and the fact that I want to become a scientist. I know that many of the women that worked in the scientific field before me did not have an easy job working along side men. I feel that their stories needed to be told and how much has changed for women over time. Women should hear about those that came before them to pave the way for our world of today.
Since the beginning of time both men and women have been interested in science. However, before the 19th century women were not noted for their accomplishments in the scientific field. Today, women have come a long way. They strive to become equals in science fields, though there is much more work to be done.
The University of Alabama created a website called “4000 Years of Women in 2007. The website tells the world that females have been working and making many accomplishments in science for 4000 years. San Diego Supercomputer Center also created a website called “Women in Science,” letting the public know about many women from the 18th and 19th centuries that made great achievements in the scientific field. For instance, Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace, Mary Anning, and Sophie Germain are just a few examples of the many females mentioned on the “Women in Science” website. Ada Byron was born in 1815, and was an analysis, a metaphysician, and founder of scientific computing. She also often worked side by side with many male scientists. Mary Anning was born in 1799, and worked with and collected fossils. Sophie Germain was born in 1776 and was a revolutionary mathematician. However according to “4000 Years of Women in Science” lets us also know that because of their gender these women and many others were never given the credit for their accomplishments.
However, the females with an interest in science never stopped learning. Even though they had so many struggles and could not be hired or credited for their work, many pushed forward and persevered. Women like Maria Mitchell, who discovered the comet, or Rosalind Franklin who worked with Crystal Diffraction never stopped working hard and making progress because of their gender. They were told many times they could not achieve excellence in their field but showed that they could.
Women of modern times have followed in the footsteps of scientists like Mitchell and Franklin and continue to make important advancements in the scientific field. In the article, “Women in Science: Racial and Ethnic Differences and the Differences They Make,” Cheryl Leggon tells her audience, “Each year since 1992, there has been an increase in the number of science bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences awarded to women…in the US”(327). Now more than ever, women are finding an interest in the science fields whether it is nursing, psychology, medicine, chemistry, or even computer science. Women are finding their way to the top of the class and they are learning from those who came before them.
Even though women have been making strides toward becoming considered equal to their male colleagues in the scientific fields there is still a long road ahead. Internationally there is still an unacceptably low amount of women working and studying science. In “Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State, and Society,” authors Lisa Garforth and Anne Kerr believe that, “women can find the solution to their own problem by becoming more confident in the scientific field of study” (14). Although according to the article females can also be the solution to England’s problem. They need to build a reputation in the science field and understanding that this field is not easy but it comes with great rewards. All that these authors are trying to say is women have the power to change their situation and further advance themselves in their field by gaining confidence in their own abilities.
They are not necessarily going to jump into positions that they have not rightfully earned, and everything must be equally obtained on the basis of merit, not gender. The road ahead for women may be bumpy but there are many new opportunities and organizations for women today that were not available many years ago.
Today there is a multitude of groups and organizations for women working in the scientific fields. These organizations work to get more women, young and old interested in this type of work. The International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, established in New York in 1964, is held regularly for women to meet and get to know others in their field from all over the world. They also work hard on finding ways to get other young women involved and interested in the scientific fields. According to “A changing world: New Opportunities for Women Engineers and Scientists,” an article written about the conference, “ there are over 500 participants from over 60 countries, and over three days there are about 140 oral presentations and around 50 poster presentations” (98). All of this effort is targeted at getting these women talking and finding ways to get others involved and working in the scientific fields if interested.
Other organizations, such as the Association of Women In Science (AWIS), are dedicated to rising educational and employment opportunities for women in science. They give out awards and scholarships to deserving women all over the United States. Additionally, there is an AWISE or Association of Women In Science in Europe that do similar work abroad. These associations work hard to give women an equal chance at the field and study of science.
As I was growing up I was very curious about the world around me and that same curiosity sparked my love for science. As my interest in the science fields grew I looked groups or organizations that also shared my interests. It seemed much harder to find any groups or organizations than it is today. Many groups like the ones mentioned earlier in this paper were around but thanks to the advances in technology, like the computer, it is much easier for women like myself to find them. Each of these group since the technological breakthrough of the computer these groups have created websites that help give honor to and aid in the accomplishments of those young women like myself in their pursuits of become part of the scientific field.
Over this pasted summer I was given the honor to work as an intern for Henry Ford Health System. Because of those female’s that came before me and their hard work and pioneering the scientific field, I was able to receive an honor such as this internship. Many like myself have also been given so many honors and have made many achievements thanks to groups like the AWIS and the AWISE. According to the websites of these organizations they give out scholarships and awards to deserving young women all over the world.
During my research I have found many modern women scientists that have made their own strides in their separate scientific fields. I met two women at Henry Ford Health System named Kannaghi and Uma are scientific researchers who have done a lot of work in finding successful treatments for prostate cancer. Also my aunt, Lynn Adsit, does work at Lancing Board of Water and Light. She works in an environmental laboratory as a physical chemist. These three women are just a few of those the many women in today’s scientific works.
There may not be an equal balance of men and women in the scientific field yet, but I believe that with the progress made so far this balance can and will be achieved in the future. Women are now getting the credit they deserve for the work they are doing in science. They are gaining more opportunities with the help of other groups and organizations. There are scholarships and awards being presented to women who many years ago were over looked so many times. Though women have made many strides there are still many ways they can improve upon themselves and work alongside men. The fact of the matter is that women have been on a long, bumpy road, and this road has not yet reached its end. There will be more twists and turns, but there is a shining light at the end of it all and that light is women becoming equal to men in the scientific field.
This is the story of the women in science from the past to the present. It may not have every woman ever in science, but it tells the story of their struggle and the step women have taken to get where they are today. Women today can now see how far they have come and path it took to get here. There many be more ahead but I and many other women will be ready thanks to those that led the way.
Work Cited
"4000 Years of Women in Science." University of Alabama Astronomy Home Page. 2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2009.
Garforth, Lisa, and Anne Kerr. "Women and Science: What's the Problem." Social Politics 16.3 (2009). Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State, and Society. Project Muse, Fall 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.
Kugele, Kordula. "A changing world: new opportunities for women engineers and scientists; Conference report: 14th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, Lille, 15-18 July 2008." Equal Opportunities International 28.1 (2009): 98-103. Professional Insights. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.
Leggon, Cheryl B. "Women in Science: Racial and Ethnic Differences and the Differences They Make." Journal of Technology Transfer 31.3 (2006): 325-33. Journal of Technology Transfer. Springer Science + Business Media Inc., May 2006. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.
"SDSC: Women in Science." San Diego Supercomputer Center. 1997. Web. 10 Dec. 2009.
