Women scientists conveniently ‘lost’ in history
Science as we know it today, is the Science of the Western World, which began with the philosophers of Ancient Greece, who tried to describe, define and where possible explain the Universe that constitutes it and the physical laws that govern it. The Greek philosophers who primarily contributed to thoughts and ideas which shaped the ways of thinking since the ancient past include Aristotle, Pythagoras and Plato. Aristotle (354 – 322 B.C.) – the Greek scientist and tutor of Alexander the Great, influenced scholars for more than 2000 years. He was also largely responsible for the myth that women were inferior to men and that science was a male preserve.
Science is the systematic way of acquiring knowledge through observation and experimentation, whereas technology is the practical application of science. Despite the significant influence of Greek philosophers and their philosophical notions, archaeological records indicate that science and technology existed long before Greek Civilization came into being. The advent of civilization as known to date, developed with farming and agriculture – tasks which were almost certainly carried out by women, who would have been responsible for cooking (and therefore control of fire) and preservation of food, weaving and dyeing of fabrics, among other responsibilities, which are known to involve much scientific innovation. Historical evidence exists where women have been known to collect herbs and made medicines, take care of the sick and women during childbirth. Men, on the other hand, were the hunters and gatherers who invented weapons and tools necessary for this activity. In ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt (before 3000 B.C.), women were actively involved in medicine as physicians and surgeons. Despite misogynistic philosophical views, in ancient Greece too, there were women who were scientists, but only little of them is known now. They have been lost in history mostly under the guise of religious and cultural pretexts.
Modern science is considered to have had its beginnings in 1543, when Copernicus expressed the revolutionary idea that the sun, and not the earth, was the centre of the universe. The history of science as we know it today, is essentially the history of men in science and that too, the personal accounts of those who existed in the west rather than the east. Only a few women have been denoted in the historical records of modern science as researchers and investigators of importance. The most well-known among such women is Madam Marie Curie. She was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize and the only scientist to date to have been awarded this coveted accolade twice in two different disciplines. Nevertheless, only a few women scientists throughout history have enjoyed the limelight and attention as Madam Marie Curie.
For many centuries, the education of women was frowned upon by misogynistic scholars such that disciplines such as mathematics, chemistry and biology were virtually the sole territory of men. Until the recent past, while a few women were allowed to attend a female seminary or academy, they did not receive acceptance into colleges and universities. This was mostly due to the genuine fear that a good education would make women ‘unfit’ for marriage and motherhood. As a result of this prejudice and stereotyping, many of the notable women scientists in history have been self-taught in most of the scientific disciplines, or had disguised themseves as men to listen to lectures and lessons, or borrowed lecture notes from their male friends, or better yet, migrated to countries through a marriage of convenience, thereby ensuring their receipt of a formal education.
Some women scientists have nevertheless been more fortunate than others. Hypatia – the Greek mathematician, for instance, was able to have a formal education because her father himself being a distinguished mathematician and philosopher, ensured that his daughter received a comprehensive education. The parents of Maria Gaetana Agnesi – the child prodigy and established mathematician of Italy, were affluent aristocrats, who could afford private tutoring for their daughter. Lack of leisure, because of gender-biased activities within families and societies in general, has hindered the intellectual development of women. History reveals that leisure, which was a gift to the affluent classes, allowed men and even women during the middle ages, to educate themselves. Many such women made notable contributions to science – Emilie du Chatelet being one such example.
On the other hand, Sophie Germain of France and Mary Fairfax Somerville of Scotland were deprived of receiving a formal education, thus resorting to be self-taught mathematicians, while other women scientists such as Sonya Kovalevsky of Russia engaged in a marriage of convenience in order to pursue higher studies in a foreign university because women were not permitted to enter Russian universities during her time. In addition to being deprived of a formal education and societal prejudices, many of the women scientists in history are uncelebrated and their assistance to widen the scientific horizons has not been formally acknowledged. School textbooks for instance, only contain records of male scientists such as Aristotle, Pythagoras, Nicolaus Coppernicus, Galileo Galieli, Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Max Planck and their respective scientific contributions. However, the discoveries by female scientists such as Emilie du Chatelet, Caroline Herschel, Sophie Germain, Sonya Kovalevsky, Lise Meitner or Emmy Noether have not been plausibly scripted in any authoritative document.
Many of the notable achievements of early women scientists who overcame societal prejudices and adversity have also been conveniently‘lost’ or ‘misplaced’ in history although their contributions are still remembered. The lack of a historical perspective of the important role played by women in science has alarming consequences for humanity in general, and Sri Lankan society in particular. Even to date, society in general underestimates the potential abilities of women and their abilities to pursue an academic career. The creative contributions coming from both men and women are equally important for scientific thinking and technological advancements for the good of Sri Lankan society.
(The writer is Senior Lecturer (Temporary) Technology Programme, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale)