Women in science

It never was a secret that the number of men in science is larger than the number of women. This may have some historical roots; in some case the tendency comes from people’s attitude. However, the situation is being changed in the course of time and now science is becoming more attractive for women.

In 2002 Charles Hirshberg published an article "My mother, the scientist" about Joan Feynman, 

a outstanding astrophysicist and the sister of one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century (Richard Feynman).

When 8-year-old Joan announced that she intended to be a scientist, her mother explained that it was impossible. "Women can't do science," she said, "because their brains can't understand enough of it." 

"It wasn't until her 14th birthday-March 31, 1942-that her notion of becoming a scientist was revived. Richard presented her with a book called Astronomy. "It was a college textbook. I'd start reading it, get stuck, and then start over again. This went on for months, but I kept at it. When I reached page 407, I came across a graph that changed my life." My mother shuts her eyes and recites from memory: "'Relative strengths of the Mg+ absorption line at 4,481 angstroms . . . from Stellar Atmospheres by Cecilia Payne.' Cecilia Payne!" 

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2002-04/my-mother-scientist

What's it like to have a mother-scientist?  "I asked what a scientist <my mother> was, and she handed me a spoon. "Drop it on the table," she said. I let it fall to the floor. "Why did it fall?" she asked. "Why didn't it float up to the ceiling?" It had never occurred to me that there was a "why" involved. "Because of gravity," she said. "A spoon will always fall, a hot-air balloon will always rise." I dropped the spoon again and again until she made me stop. I had no idea what gravity was, but the idea of "Why?" kept rattling around in my head."

This article, full of love and pride of mother, shows how exceptional and unusual was the profession - scientist - among women. 

At present, the number of women in science is growing, but not all people know about most of them.

There are at about 45 Nobel Prize winners among women:

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009

Elizabeth H. Blackburn

"for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009

Carol W. Greider

"for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi

"for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2004

Linda B. Buck

"for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1995

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard

"for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1988

Gertrude B. Elion

"for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986

Rita Levi-Montalcini

"for their discoveries of growth factors"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1983

Barbara McClintock

"for her discovery of mobile genetic elements"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1977

Rosalyn Yalow

"for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1947

Gerty Theresa Cori, née Radnitz

"for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen"

(http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/women.html) 

http://womenrockscience.tumblr.com/tagged/Posters

Each of women in science has made an invaluable contribution to science, and at the same time was a great wife and mother. 

It was extraordinary and even strange in the past centuries. But now women are changing the world through science on an equal footing with men.