Strategies and Compromises: Women in Astronomy at Harvard College Observatory, 1870–1920

Making Visible the First Women in Astronomy in Australia: The Measurers and Computers Employed for the Astrographic Catalogue

“…Klumpke's analysis that astronomy was now ‘a science of gender equality’ reflected only the small number of women who were encouraged and paid to pursue new research. In North America at Vassar College and Harvard College Observatory women progressed to senior positions, made new discoveries and published independent research (Klumpke 1899, Larsen 2009, Mack 1990a, 1990b, Rossiter 1980,1983). Williamina Fleming published several papers on spectral analysis and was acknowledged by Harvard College Observatory Director, Edward Pickering (Fleming 1893, Fleming & Pickering 1896) and Caroline Furness published over 90 papers including a catalogue of stars reduced from four photographic plates taken at Vassar College (Furness 1905).…”

“…The exceptional women I have described in this section were well educated or had a family member prominent in astronomy. Extensive research into women in astronomy in the United Kingdom (Brück 2009, Kidwell 1999), in North America (Mack 1990a, 1990b, Rossiter 1980, 1983) and in Paris, the Vatican (Bigg 2000) and Toulouse (Lamy 2006) has revealed that star catalogue measurement was not a pathway to a career in astronomy for the majority of women. Most women measurers and computers were employed on fixed salaries at low rates in observatories around the globe and rarely recognised within publications or otherwise formally acknowledged for their objective and scientific contributions to astronomy (Rossiter 1980, Brück 2009).…”

“…One of the major impediments to women pursuing more research-based work in observatories in North America and in Britain was the exclusivity of the main instruments in observatories to males (Larsen 2009, Brück 2009). There was further social discouragement for women to work at night as the observatories were, by their nature, in isolated and poorly lit locations but according to social scientists, in Europe (Brück 2009) and in North America (Rossiter 1980,1983; Mack 1990a, 1990b; Larsen 2009), some women did ‘breach the divide’ (Larsen 2009). I will now examine two outstanding individuals, Greayer and Peel, and how their work ‘breached the divide’ in Australia.…”

“…Social scientists researching women in astronomy in North America and Britain (Rossiter 1980,1983; Mack 1990a, 1990b; Benjamin 1991; Brück 1998, 2009; Larsen 2009) have established that there were common reasons as to why women were ‘hidden’ within the history of astronomy in most parts of the globe. These included the lack of educational opportunities, a failure to attribute women's work, restrictions placed on women's careers because of their gender and attitudes to the stereotypical nature of the work to which women were assigned.…”