For hundreds of years, women have made important advances in the area of science. Women scientists have made a big difference in how we understand the world, from Marie Curie (a Polish scientist and study of radioactivity) in the past to Jennifer Doudna (an American scientist famous for her work in biology and genetics) today. Even though they faced many challenges, the contributions of Women have changed the field of science.
Contributions of Women in the History
If we look into history women have left lasting marks in the field of science and technology. Names like Marie Curie (Warsaw, 1867–1934), who made important contributions to physics and chemistry as well as being one of the first people to use radioactivity in medicine. Three years later, the Polish scientist won two Nobel Prizes, showing that women can not only work in science but also be leaders in it.
Rosalind Franklin, who lived in London from 1920 to 1958, was another important person. Important advances in genetics and molecular biology were made possible by her work on the structure of DNA. At first, her work was not given enough credit, but her impact shows how important it is to recognize the work of women in science.
Visionary women have led big steps forward in the energy field. Shirley Ann Jackson, an American physicist and thinker born in Washington, D.C., in 1946, did groundbreaking work in particle physics that helped the progress of telecommunications technology and laid the groundwork for current technologies like fibre optics and mobile phones. She was also the first African American woman to get a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is an impressive feat that serves as an example for others.
Ada Lovelace was a British scientist and writer who lived in London in the 1800s and 1852. She is thought to be the first person to program a computer. Modern computers were made possible by her ideas about how tools could do more than just add and subtract numbers. At the same time, American computer scientist Margaret Hamilton (Indiana, 1936) played a key role in the Apollo 11 mission. Neil Armstrong and Edwin F. Aldrin would not have been able to land on the moon without the software she made for the spaceship.
Current Situation
Researchers from the Women and Science Unit of the Ministry of Science and Innovation have put together a new statistical series called Scientists in Figures. It shows that over the last 5 years, more women (56.3%) than men have been enrolled in undergraduate, first-cycle, and second-cycle degree programs. There are, however, 71.8% more female students in health sciences studies than male students in engineering and design (compared to just 26.5% of all students).
As more and more important women scientists break down hurdles to education in STEM areas, they serve as examples for younger people. Some examples of contributions of Women are the Nobel Prize in Physics which was recently given to Anne L’Huillier and the Nobel Prize in Medicine which was given to Katalin Karikó. And the truth is that having similar chances in science education is important for making the future more fair and long-lasting.
Being Creative and Unique
One more important thing that women bring to the table is their unique ways of thinking and acting. Women have brought new ideas, methods, and creativity to the area of science, which has made studies better and led to new findings. Research has shown that teams with a mix of people are more creative and productive. Adding women to science has helped to bring new ideas to the field.
Broke Stereotype with Hard Efforts
Getting rid of gender barriers and stereotypes is one of the most important things contributions of women have done for science. People have always thought of science as a field controlled by men. Despite these ideas, women have shown that they are smart, artistic, and driven enough to do well in science.
Present themselves as a Role Model
Women who work in many areas, not just science, show younger people how to do it. By getting rid of the problems and adding important new things to the field, they urge young girls to pursue their own science interests. Through their accomplishments, they have shown that anyone, male or female, can use science to make a big difference in the world.
How Far Science Has Come
The contributions of women have made a significant impact on many other fields of science, such as biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Rosalind Franklin’s work on X-ray crystallography was very important in figuring out how DNA is structured. This finding has had huge effects on the area of genetics. Chien-Shiung Wu’s experiments on the beta decay of radioactive atoms also helped to question the basic rules of physics.
