I wonder how much did women do in Islamic golden era, and in general how much did women contribute to science in Islam?

There was a period when "computer" was a job description, a person who performed mathematical calculations as a profession. In the decades leading up to the widespread use of electronic computers, professional computers were mostly women. Among other reasons, women were considered more careful and accurate than men.

However, somehow today we have this widespread notion that women aren't good at math. When and why did this notion women can't do math spread? Is there any indication this wrongheaded notion is losing traction?

First off, Thanks!

How did women's perspectives add to the understand of science. Not just in specifics of a particular woman, but in general. What perspectives are lost when women are not included or when women are sidelined in science? How does science look different when it is just men compared to when women's perspectives are valued?

Also, what women was initially celebrated or accepted but was later omitted? Why?

What early scientific pioneer do you think should be more well known by the general public?

Hey all. I was hoping as individuals who have I'm sure been involved with modern academia:

Can you talk about how funding plays a role in the role contemporary women play in science?

Did academic funding play the same historical role for women?

Thanks!

Hello! Thanks for joining us today!

My question(s) is(are) basically on the public history side of things: How well do you think women in science have been depicted in recent popular media, such as the film Hidden Figures? How far do potential inaccuracies (assuming there may have been, though if not I'd stand corrected!) detract from the positive impact of such depictions? And, I guess, how much would it matter, if these pieces of media are, on the whole, a net good?

Thanks for doing this! Could you tell us about how women navigated the boundaries between religion and science?

What sort of opportunities were available to a woman in the early modern period if they wanted to pursue scientific study? Would it have been entirely a product of independence and wealth?

If a 18th/19th century woman wanted to publish some scientific research she had done, to what extent would the barriers she faced be formal rules ("our society does not allow female members") versus more nebulous social norms and pressures - assuming it is possible to draw such distinctions?

There are obviously a lot of contributions by women to science that have been hidden, erased, or downplayed. On the one hand you have examples like Rosalind Franklin or Lise Meitner who made very obvious major contributions to foundational research who had their roles downplayed in their lifetimes but have since had those contributions been brought to higher attention. But then you have a bunch of more complex situations, especially with unrecorded collaborations between couples. There's the controversy about how much Einstein's first wife Mileva Maric contributed to his work, for example. There are also many other examples of scientific work by men where their wives either made major contributions and were collaborators or made minor contributions and were maybe a little like grad students.

How do you tease out these details from historical records that might be working to try to downplay such contributions? To what degree, on a case by case basis, do you go the extra mile in digging into examples of possible collaboration as "mysteries" to piece together vs. throwing in the towel and just accepting that there's too little evidence to know the full truth? Related to that, how do you keep track of the contributions to women in science (as individuals or spouses) throughout history at a higher level (e.g. statistically or in terms of broad scale trends)? Meaning, how do you track trends in education and contributions over time? It seems like it must be very difficult and frustrating.

How did you come to research this subject?

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to answer everything.

In the US, we don't really think of women being involved in the space program as astronauts until Sally Ride, Judith Resnik, Anna Lee Fisher, all that. Not to ignore them, because they were awesome, but what did the American conversation around the idea of female astronauts look like before them? Was there any consideration of the idea in the 1960s, and what rhetoric did people use to argue for and against if so? And when the female astronauts we all know and love did come along and start their training, how was that framed in the media?

Also, I notice you write space programs, plural — is that more inclusive language in some way that I don't yet realize? Always happy for opportunities to be more inclusive.

Aside from today, what period in history had the largest impact from women in science? Was there ever a period that eclipsed today's numbers?

What do you feel is the most important contribution to the sciences (or any subject) from a female scientist?

Just wanted to say that as an OU grad who was there when the History of Science department seemed to be really getting underway (2010-2014) its great to see my alma mater hosting such cool research!

• What was the biggest surprise you had in writing your book?

• Any happy stories of women getting recognized in their own time?

Why are women so influential in astronomy? eg Henrietta Leavit, Nancy Roman and many others

Were there ancient cultures where women had equal access to science?

What role did women have in scientific inavations in China?

I don't know if this is too broad a question, but what is the earliest example of women in science/engineering/invention etc?

is it something that only happened say, post17th century? any examples in the renaissance? (even if it was essentially invisible behind a man of power but then later found out about?)

what about even earlier? in antiquity? in roman or even classical Greek times?

Did the presence of a Queen as the ruler effect whether there were women in places of academic/educated/scientific positions? was a queen able to override the sort of entrenched patriarchal bias of everything or did they still find themselves subject to it? say if the queen decided she wanted to study at the ancient/ late medieval equivalent of a school/university?

sorry i know that's several questions but I'm extremely intrigued and my major interest is in ancient history. :) and thankyou for even doing this for people, love these AMA's :)

Do you envision a future where there are no lines between genders?