Women in the Historiography of Biology

Abstract

Women no less than men have been drawn to the study of nature, but only after they were given access to higher education were they able to participate in science in greater numbers. The historian's gaze has accordingly been transfixed on the accomplishments of men and a few extraordinarily talented women. This began to change in the 1970s when a new wave of women scholars and feminists turned to recovering the accomplishments of individuals, exploring opportunities and hindrances to women's participation in science, and identifying sexist ideologies and gendered assumptions within biology that influence not only women's ability to do science, but also broader social, economic, and political rights of women. The result is a rich body of literature on women's contributions to, and a feminist critique of, biology.