Émilie du Châtelet – a woman as a scientist

1 © ACADEMY OF FINLAND

Émilie du Châtelet – a woman as a scientist Opera House, Helsinki, 1 April 2015

• Mathematician, physicist, philosopher,

author

• France 1706-1749

• Illuminated Enlightment

• Inspiration of Kaija Saariaho’s opera ”Émilie”


Extraordinary pioneers - women mathematicians

Before access of women to higher education

• Hypaxia of Alexandria – 370 Hellenic Egyptian – first woman head of philosophical school

• Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia – 1646 Italian - first woman to obtain doctorate

• Émilie du Châtelet - 1706 French – first internationally known woman scientist

• Maria Gaetano Agnesia – 1718 Italian – first woman reader in university

• Marie-Sophie Germain – 1776 French – first woman awardee of Academie de Science

• Mary Somerville – 1780 Scottish - first woman member of Royal Astronomical Society


160 y after Émilie: Extraordinary Marie Skolodovska Curie

• Polish, 1867-1934

• 1903: 36 y old, mother

• Ist woman PhD ever in physics

• The same year Nobel Prize for discovery of

radioactivity, shared with 2 men

• No position, no proper laboratory

• French Academy banned membership for life

• ”Male status quo to be retained”

• 2nd Nobel Prize for discovery of radium and

polonium 1911, alone

• Nobel committee: ”don’t come to

Stockholm, give up the prize”

• 2 children, widow, chased by media

• First woman innovator

• Radiotherapy most powerful treatment for

cancer

• No patent > benefit for mankind


110 y after Curie: Woman astronomers/physicists today

• Survey of astronomers in 40 universities and 7 NRCs in USA, 2013

• Female graduates 35% - full professors 14%

• Male full professors 86%

• Survey of European physicists in 2007

• Female graduates 33% - full professors 9%

• Particle physics flag ship research facility CERN

• <7% of research staff female


Female presence in all scientific and scholarly disciplines

• Nobel Prize (science) 1901-2014

• 860 awardees – 5% women

• 3 awarded Nobel Prize twice – 33% Marie Curie

• Academia Europaea, most prominent senior researchers

• 3127 members – 12% female

• Young AE: 127 members – 26% female

• European Research Council (ERC) grants for mature and young reasearchers

• Females about 30%, after 10 y of worrying, monitoring and measures


Female presence in computing, engineering, mathematics American Association of University Women 2015 report

• Women persistently underrepresented in engineering and computing

• In science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM fields)

• 80% of STEM jobs are in computing and engineering

• 26% of computing professionals are women

• 12% of engineering professionals are women

• Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, since 2013: two men

• Millennium Technology Prize, since 2004:

• About 300 nominations, 15 women nominees

• 10 laureates, no women

• Fields medal, since 1924 ”Nobel” prize for mathematics

• Since 1924 ~ 66 awardees, first woman laureate in 2014

• >> Women absent from STEM research >> absent from innovation scene


Broader consequences of lack of women in high positions in

research leadership, management and policy

• When women are underrepresented

• As university rectors

• As heads of research performing institutes

• As heads of research councils

• In science policy

• >> Decisions on resources and priorities taken by half of the community

• Collective intelligence increased by diversity, provided by

• Both genders

• Different scientific and scholarly disciplines

• Different cultural backgrounds

• Different career stages


What to do to capture women’s contribution in science for

benefit of mankind

• What is hindering the success of women in science?

• Certainly not lack of talent or passion

• Structures not allowing combination of work and family?

• Discouregement by establishment, pre-set culture?

• Lack of perception of talent?

• Lack of role models?

• Women not wanting to take leadership?

• Attempted solutions:

• Special funding programmes to enhance women’s research output and thereby

topromote women’s careers ”without compromising excellence”

NO, SE, FI, DE, CH, UK…

• Encouragmenet of women to apply for grants

• Demand to describe in grant applications how geneder balance will be promoted


The Nordic countries, haven of gender balance?

• European Gender Equality Index (Work, Money, Knowledge, Time, Power, Health) shows:

• Denmark, Sweden, Finland the most gender equal countries in EU

• However, report ”The Nordic Region – a step closer to gender balance in research”:

• Nordics not different from EU average in science, women fall out after PhD

• Since 30 years half of graduates are women, still female grade A professors

• EU 20% - Sweden 20% - Norway 21% - Iceland and Finland 24%

• No difference in quality of scientific publications, volume by women somewhat less

• The more prestigeous a funding instrument, the less women apply

• Nordic Centers of Excellence 2011: women directors average 13%

• Report’s recommendations---

• Nordic research programme on gender balance – kicked off by NordForsk

• Nordic statistics (She figures) on women in science – kicked off by NordForsk


The Finnish solution: gender quota for decision making bodies

• Legislation since 15 years

• Any committee exerting DIRECT or INDIRECT power over public funds must have

minimum of 40% minority gender

• Capitalize on diversity, empower women and engage them in sharing responsability

• Typical example in science: min 40% of women in research councils deciding on funding

of research, no priviledges for women applicants, at par the woman is chosen

• Results in Academy of Finland (Finnish Research Councils, such as NSF, ANR..) in 2014

• Post-doctoral positions: 56% women

• Academy fellow, grant to launch of independent career: 45% women

• Academy professor: 50% women

• Director of Center of Excellence: 23% women


Low share of women professors is not self-correcting

Study in 2001 estimated

• Without pro-active measures

• Europe sees 50% of full women professors in 375 years

• Finland, due to equality legislation, in only 175 years


NASA’s Mars One project

First permanent human settlement on Mars

• Ten consecutive 4-man/woman

groups to ONE-WAY missions

to Mars starting 2024

• Global call: 200,000 applicants

• From them 100 shortlisted as

prospective astronauts

• 10 years training

• Final selection of 40 to leave

Earth to live and die on Mars


320 y after Émilie: astrophysicist Maggie Lieu heads to Mars

• One of the 100 selected

• PhD student University of Kent UK

• 24 years old

• ”I have no fear, this will change the

world”

• The role model for yong women

scientists in the future?

Émilie du Châtelet – a woman as a scientist

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