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Complexities: Women in Mathematics

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While the opportunities for women still lag behind men in some areas, in general there are equal opportunities between the sexes. Most of the women under forty today have no idea how different it was for women thirty years ago. Before the twentieth century, it was even worse. Women such as Sophie Germain had to study mathematics in secret or publish their results under a male byline. This book starts with the biographies of fifteen female mathematicians born before 1920 and chronicles their struggles and achievements. While these biographies are interesting, they are probably too distant to be considered relevant by the modern student. In their other studies, they will have encountered facts such as women lacking the right to vote, so the fifteen women will simply be additional examples of women held in check by the prevailing social and legal norms.
The real power of the book is in the accounts that are much more recent. Less than fifty years ago, women were rare in mathematics and those who managed to succeed were often considered oddities. Many graduate programs had either formal or informal policies against admitting women and those accepted generally were given little encouragement. Nevertheless, determined women managed to succeed and provide inspiration to future generations of mathematicians. This is their story and they are all to be commended for their success and their willingness to encourage the next generation to succeed. It is largely due to their hard work and occasional suffering that there are now so many opportunities for women in all areas of mathematics. I strongly recommend this book as required reading in any history of mathematics class. It is also suitable as supplemental material for courses in women's studies and the history of education.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.