The reasons may be many but the fact remains that women were not given the due in the field of mathematics. The article highlights their contribution throughout the history of mathematics, the current state, and the future of women in mathematics in a thought-provoking yet factual way.
Strange but true that one place where gender equality has not found holding is in the field of Mathematics. What has been the history? Why this disparity even in the 21st century? Moreover, is it always going to be a doom and gloom for half of the world population in the language of the universe is something to ponder?
Let us start with the notion “Women are not capable of doing serious Mathematics”
History of mathematics votes that this notion at least has no buyers. One does not have to dig too deep in history to find conclusive proof that how wrong this very notion is. A couple of centuries and many women mathematicians will just emerge to bellow at the very point being made.
In the modern period, the first woman to have made a significant contribution to mathematics was Italian Maria Agnesi (1718-1799). In the year 1748, she published one of the original textbooks on differential and integral calculus, Instituzioni Analitiche. Italy’s development of the calculus can be attributed to this book. The reach to a wide audience and its acceptance can also be measured by the very fact that within two years after the publication of this book, she was appointed to the chair of mathematics in Bologna on the recommendation of the Pope, Benedict XIV. Maria declined the position and went to Bologna, devoting her life to charity.
An interesting fact to note would be that when Agnesi’s book was to be translated into French it was remarked usually that the translation should be done by women. Perhaps, it had something so feminine about it but most certainly, it reflected the perception of her time.
Some of Maria Agnesi’s contemporaries were Émilie du Châtelet (1706-1749), Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), and Mary Somerville (1780-1872). For the champions of the notion of women inferiority in mathematics may be surprised to hear that both Somerville and Lovelace attended the scientific soirées of Charles Babbage the father of computing. They frequently visited him to discuss the analytical engine.
Voltaire’s most influential book which introduced Newtonian physics to France was Eleménts de la philosophie de Newton which was published in the year 1738. The point to be noted is that Voltaire was not the sole author of the book though it is his name alone that appears on the title page. Co-authoring was not the tradition of the time. However, if it would have been we would all have seen the name of Émilie du Châtelet. Voltaire was never shy of acknowledging the fact. In the introductory matter, Voltaire explains her collaboration and Du Châtelet’s appears in the front piece as a muse floating above him holding a mirror reflecting Newton’s wisdom down into his hand.
As Dr June Brown has rightly observed in her article on the history behind the gender gap, “Although it was acceptable for women, to mix socially in mathematical and scientific circles, they could not hold an official position.”
The world has changed since then and we live in an era where mathematics is more applied than theoretical and engulfs every part of our life than it did in the 18th and 19th Century. So, has the world changed since then? Have the modern world treated women better? Statistics begin to differ.
According to the National Science Foundation, women are awarded less than 30% of all U.S. doctoral degrees in mathematics and statistics. Trends also denote that there has been a decline from 2006 when it was on 29.6% to 28.5% in 2016.
Of course, academics are not the only metrics. The National Science Foundation’s median annual salary statistics for Women and Men working on science and engineering states “Among scientists and engineers working full time in 2017, women generally made less than men in each broad occupational group. Overall, women’s median annual salary was $66,000, whereas the median salary for men was $90,000,”. In other words, men for the same work and position received 27% more than their female colleagues did. The situation was marginally better for the position called “Mathematical Scientists”. The median salary for a woman mathematical scientist was $70,000, while the median salary for a male mathematical scientist was $81,000. In other words, for every dollar paid to men, women were paid about 86 cents.
There can be many reasons that lead to such kind of disparity. One of the phenomena observed was that almost half of all women scientists leave their positions after their first childbirth. Some experts also point out that the approach had always been to create or enhance programs that get girls interested in mathematics but never tries to address the problem of present women mathematicians. None of the mentioned reasons points as to what needs to be addressed to bridge this gap but surely, they indicate that the disparity continues to exist even in the 21st century.
Nevertheless, the cause is not completely lost. There are few patches of hope that show that things are moving towards better. The Abel prize awarded for outstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics was for the first time awarded to a woman in the year 2019. Karen Uhlenbeck was recognised for “her pioneering achievements in geometric partial differential equations, gauge theory and integrable systems, and for the fundamental impact of her work on analysis, geometry and mathematical physics”.
In the 2018 world meeting for Women in Mathematics held in Brazil, the Iranian Mathematical society proposed to celebrate May 12 as Women in Mathematics day designating Maryam Mirzakhani’s birthday. The proposal was approved and now the celebration takes place every year.
One of the biggest champions of hope for women in Mathematics has been the Association for women in Mathematics. Established in the year 1971 the association has always championed the cause to promote women in the field and have made considerable impact bearing in mind the years of apathy women have suffered in this field.
Thanks to such associations and initiatives, which shows the world at large that, the future is not as bleak as the past. Women have always been the epitome of rising from difficulties. It is a matter of time until they prove it in the highly regarded field of mathematics.
