When I was a Ph.D. student I received a very useful piece of advice. I was told to talk to the librarians and archivists. They know their collection and they can direct you to exactly what you are looking for. They know the long-forgotten writings and they will help use old information to solve new problems. These people are often waiting to meet researchers to share this old information with. Women are looking to enter this field but for many years they were not respected and given the credit such as the men were. Women have made advancements and the male partners have recieved the credit.
The workshop focused on a narrow issue. The topic was women that had some involvement in science over the past hundred years or so. There were some general questions to examine and the terms. Modern definitions did not find any females. They were not allowed to work in the labs and they could not be members of science organizations. Some women were still researching. Mary Anning discovered fossils and brought interest back to geology. She was not a professional but she knew her information. Women reviewed the books and contributed to the text. Should science be limited to those that made discoveries or can the editors and teachers be included? Women have been working behind the men for years and they are not getting credit for all that they had done. Science is more than just experiments. There is a lot of research to be done.
Glass Ceilings and Such
In the 20th-century glass ceiling and leaking pipes became an issue. It was examined how more women can get into the field without facing discrimination. Plant genetics and x-ray crystallography had a large number of women in the field. Some of the males were not interested and the positions were not high paying. Rather than making women fit into the world so are looking to change the way the scientific community operates. They are looking to change the employment structure to include families and parents. They are looking to allow parents to work and the field to become more flexible. A woman will still be able to have a family and she can still work in the field of science.
There are some questions without an answer. There are schools where girls are being recognized. An 11-year-old girl is making advancements in the scientific community. Female carpenters and females are working in male-dominated fields doing an excellent job. They are taking on the roles of men and have been doing so since the World Wars. These women are doing fine and showing that they can handle the expectations of the job.
Careers are expanding for females. Children are beginning to develop engineering activities in school and learning the different fields. Engineering and science is bring valued in schools and this is something that all students are learning. There are even some females that are being encouraged to enter this field. Maybe in the next 30 years, females will get the respect they deserve in the scientific field.
