Women in Mathematics:Where History and Today Meet.By Ashley Anne StrobridgeWMST Minor at GMU

Being barred from attending universities

Having their work be labeled unacceptable due to their sex

Being stereotyped as poor mathematicians and thinkers

Being harassed and even murdered for pursuing an education

Throughout history, women have faced many obstacles concerning math, but not one of them has been inability…

Begin at the Beginning…

Image of Hypatia of Alexandria in Raphael’s School of Athens fresco in the Papal Palace of the Vatican. Quote included.

Martyrdom…..

Admired by her peers and historians…..

Feared, and ultimately destroyed, by religious zealots.

And then there was darkness…Very few women were allowed to perform mathematics in the Dark Ages, but pictured here, being consumed by hellfire, is Hildegaurd von Bingen of Germany, who was a famous nun in the 11th century who wrote on many scientific topics including medicine and botany.

Italy: A Place Where Women Can Think!

A Lady’s Education…

“Math lies outside the province of women,” -Leonardo Bruni , 1405

The Enlightenment Brings LIGHT! During the Age of

Enlightenment, approximately 1650-1800 C.E., there were a small number of women who were able to make names for themselves in the field of mathematics.

These included: From the University of

Bologna: Laura Bassi (1711-1778) and Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799).

From the Salons of Paris: Emilie de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet (1706-1749) and Sophie Germain (1776-1831)

The Ladies of Enlightened Italy…

Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799)Laura Bassi (1711-1778)

The Limits of a French Lady’s Education…

Emilie de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet (1706-1749) Sophie Germain (1776-

1831)

Women of Industry!

Augusta Ada Byron Lovelace lived from 1815 to 1852 and was the first person to conceive of computer programs.

Germany Was a Place for Women of Intellect in the 1800s Grace Chrisholm

Young, (1868 – 1944). Young published her own book on geometry in 1905; it included patterns for geometric figures that are still used in math classes today.

Earning Einstein’s Praise… “Emmy Noether

was the most significant creative mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began.“ – Albert Einstein

Emmy Amalie Noether (1882-1935)

A Hard-Won Victory…

Co-ed party, University of Chicago, 1900, Chicago.

But challenges still lay ahead….

http://calumet412.com/post/43487729628/co-ed-party-university-of-chicago-1900

Stereotypes Prevail…

AAUW: http://www.aauw.org/resource/why-so-few-women-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics/

More Obstacles for Women…

“In many physics departments, women encounter climates that range from chilly to hostile” (Czujko & Ivie), and that “women earn significantly lower salaries than men” (Czujko & Ivie).

http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~wow/

Overcoming Obstacles… From the 4th century

to today, women have made great strides and discoveries in the field of mathematics despite stereotypes and myths about their capacity as great thinkers.

Hopefully a Bright Future Ahead! Women are now being

encouraged to enter the STEM fields

Scholarships are being awarded to young women today to encourage them to enter the STEM fields

http://megbear.com/2013/10/11/ode-to-women-in-stem-for-ada-lovelace-day-2013/

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Cheryan, Sapna. “Understanding the Paradox in Math-Related Fields: Why Do Some Gender Gaps Remain While Others Do Not?” Sex Roles. Vol. 66, 184-190. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Coffin, Judith…[et al.]. Western Civilizations. Ed. Jon Durbin. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.

Czujko, Roman and Rachel Ivie. “Women in Physics and Astronomy.” American Institute of Physics. 2005. Web. 22 April 2013.

"Emergence of Women at the Highest Levels of Mathematics." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 2001. World History In Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Eriksson, Kimmo and Torrun Lindholm. “Making Gender Matter: the Role of Gender-Based Expectancies and Gender Identification on Women’s and Men’s Math Performance in Sweden.” Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. Vol. 48, 329-338. 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Fowler, Elizabeth M. "Careers; A Shortage Of Women in Mathematics." New York Times. 1 Nov. 1988. World History In Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Jaschik, Scott. “Women Lead in Doctorates.” Inside Higher Education. 2010. Web. 22 April 2013.

Scholasticus, Socrates. “The Life of Hypatia.” Ecclesiastical History. Alexandria on the Web. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.

Simon, Marilyn K. “The Evolving Role of Women in Mathematics.” Mathematics Teacher. Vol. 93, 782-786. 2000. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.

"Women in Eighteenth-Century Mathematics." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager andJosh Lauer. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2001. World History In Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.