Mohamed Adnan

Savage Ap Euro

Women in Science

During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, women were pursuing greater goals.

Women during this time period were trying to break through the glass ceiling by participating in

the fields of science. Although, there was many people that went against it. These people

believed that women’s involvement in science went against the female standards at the time. Yet

some women defended what they believed in and surprisingly even had support from some men.

Women taking on this new role was different and people felt as though it was very

uncommon. Majority of men were against this sudden change, like Samuel Pepys. Samuel had a

difficult time accepting what the Duchess of Newcastle had to say. He believed that as a woman

she dressed horribly and her words didn’t reach him. Like many men, he was sexist in this

situation and disliked her (Document 3). Johann Eberti, husband of German astronomer Marie

Cutnitz, disliked the work that his wife was doing. Johann said that “She was so deeply engaged

in astronomical speculation that she neglected her household.” He is saying that Marie was so

obsessed with science that she started to lose her femininity. Marie had spent day and night with

her work and Johann believed that she started to lose her feminine standards (Document 1). Men

were not the only ones that opposed this, women like Marie Thiroux thought that women should

stay within their traditional roles. She said “Women should not study Medicine and Astronomy.

These subjects fall beyond their sphere of competence.” Marie states that the sciences are not

suitable for women and she believed that women should be more feminine and be more

interested in housewifery (Document 12). Women’s interest in the sciences also gave them a
different stereotype. One of these were that women who took on these challenges had poor

choice of clothing and terrible hair conditions. According to the Gottingen newspaper “Usually

one thinks of a learned women as a neurotic.” The paper uses Mademoiselle Schlozer as an

example of how a proper woman should be, “ She sews, knits, and understands household

economy perfectly well.” (Document 13) The majority believed that this change brought trouble

and disapproved this idea of women in the science field.

The intellectual women in the science fields had many opinions on what they believed in.

“…minds have no sex and that if minds of women are cultivated by those of men.” Said by

Marie Merudrac. The common mindset was that women should stay home and do household

chores, teaching and jobs like that of men were not proper for women, and “she should remain

silent, listen and learn, without displaying her own knowledge.” Marie believed that minds

should not have sexes and that there should be no difference (Document 2). Maria Sibylla is a

good example of how women in the fields of science were very dedicated. Maria had an interest

in insects ever since she was a child. She took herself out of her social life just to study the

metamorphosis of these insects. This just showed that women had a great urge to learn and had

no intention of letting anyone or anything get in their way (Document 5). Like the other women,

Marquis Emilie du Chatelet had worked hard and thought that it was necessary for her to go the

extra mile just for her research. She felt that Maquis was not supportive of her and thought

Voltaire had given her better support. She works for a substantial amount of time and says that

she must continue her research no matter what. She says “I must do this or lose the fruit of my

labors if I should die in childbirth.”, this means that She has to do this or else she will return to

the old standards of being a woman which she disliked (Document 11) Dorothea Erxleben

believed that her success had brought her colleagues to think that she is taking a man’s job. In
her mind she just wants to be the best as she can be. Dorothea isn’t trying to replace anyone she

is just trying to succeed but in doing so she has brought herself many enemies. Holding the title

of first woman to be granted an M.D. had distinguished her from the rest (Document 9). Women

were very eager into learning and showing that they can be better than men. They had done so by

making great advances in science.

There was actually some men who knew women had what it took to pursue these goals.

One of these men was Gottfried Leibniz, He said “I often thought that women of elevated mind

advance knowledge more properly than do men.” Gottfried knew that women who were smart

had a better understanding of things than men (Document 7). Gottfried Kich had a good example

of how women were more aware of things than men. In his studies, he was accompanied by his

wife Maria Winkelmann who had found something he didn’t. She had found a comet which

Gottfried did not find before. This had greatly surprised him and had showed that women did

have a chance at having successful roles in science (Document 6). Johannes and Elizabetha

Hevelius had done their research together. In the picture, you can see that Johannes on the left

and Elizabeth on the right, working together as equals on the Heavenly Machine. This shows that

Johannes respected Elizabethas work by allowing her to research with him and treating her as an

intellectual equal (Document 4) Although these were of a minority of men, they did respect and

recognize the values of women in the scientific fields.

Women had actively participated in scientific research. Even if they were rejected from

many universities that didn’t stop them. They were highly enthusiastic about learning more about

science. Many people had rejected this idea of women working in a lab, but that didn’t stop the

women from pushing further. The journey for knowledge should never be halted by what society

thinks of you.