Unveiling the Untold Stories: Women on the Backburner regarding Nobel Prizes and Sexism
A food delivery person, and a personal caretaker- this is all what a woman was in the 1900s, even when she helped in groundbreaking discoveries in the lab.
Written by Aparna Chaurasia
A food delivery person, and a personal caretaker- this is all what a woman was in the 1900s, even when she helped in groundbreaking discoveries in the lab. As a result, in records of scientific history, countless stories remain untold, hidden beneath layers of bias and discrimination. Among those unsung heroes stand numerous great-minded women whose remarkable contributions to science were overshadowed by the narrow-mindedness of society and sexism. Unfortunately, it is a long list, one that has a repetition of Nobel Prizes being stolen away from women, who are the prizes’ true owners, by men. But, among those scientists, three women make for a great example of the ruthless discrimination in STEM during the 1900s but also an inspiration to keep going even when unfair obstacles like these try to obstruct your way.
Esther Lederberg, 1950s. Taken while attending Cold Spring Harbor Symposia. (Photo credit: Esther M Zimmer Lederberg Memorial website)
The first on our list: Esther Lederberg, a pioneer in microbial genetics, is obscure in the current textbooks and scientific discussions due to prevailing sexism in the 1900s. She contributed to our understanding of bacterial gene regulation, recombination, and exchange, all of which were overshadowed or solely attributed to her husband, Joshua Lederberg, a Nobel Prize geneticist. Furthermore, Esther Lederberg discovered lambda phage and the development of the replica plating technique, for which, once again, all the credit was given to Mr. Lederberg. Even when her husband won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958, Esther was portrayed as a supportive spouse instead of a contributor to the research. This systematic accrediting of Esther’s groundbreaking discoveries to her husband underscores the extreme bias in the STEM community in the 1900s and how it acutely affected the underrepresented groups of that time, especially women.
The National Science Foundation
The second woman on the list, Chien-Shiung Wu, stands as the first-ever woman in Physics. Her major contributions in the field of Physics included experiments on beta decay and weak interactions, that, with no doubt, are taught in all chemistry high school classes, but are not credited to Shiung Wu. Besides this, she demonstrated parity violation, challenged long-held beliefs in the field and thus, played a major role in advancing the people’s understanding of forces in nature. However, her invaluable contributions were all accredited to Tsung Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang, who received a Nobel Prize in Physics for what was considered their theoretical insights that were all possible due to evidence from Wu’s meticulous experimental works. Once again, a woman was robbed of a Nobel Prize just because she was not a man, a show of discrimination towards female STEM leaders in history. Despite these challenges, women like Shiung Wu remained focused on their journey and made great contributions to STEM throughout history that still help present scientists make discoveries.
Alice Ball
Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy
Last but not least, the third woman on the list did not only represent one underrepresented group but two- she was an African American Woman in the United States who revolutionized the treatment of a terrible disease, Leprosy. Her research included curing the disease by directly injecting chaulmoogra oil into the bloodstream. Unfortunately, her revolutionary work was erased with her death at the young age of 24, leaving her work exposed to other chemists to publish her findings to take credit. In 1916, a colleague continued her research and published it under his name. But, hold your horses because this story has a happy ending. In 1922, Harry Hollman rightfully acknowledged her method and alongside Paul Wermarger, a scholar dedicated to preserving Ball’s memory, emphasized her extraordinary achievements, noting her publications in prestigious journals and the lasting impact of her treatment. Ball’s work largely contributed to curing numerous patients and saving lives, an honor that is, fortunately, accredited to its true owner which marked the beginning of a world where people of all genders and all races don’t face discrimination and can reach their full potential.
To summarize, many underrepresented groups, primarily women, have long battled discrimination, enduring the frustrations of watching a man claim all the credit for their hard-earned discoveries. However, years of protests and inspirational speeches have turned around the mindset of society towards women, and now, women are catching up to the competition, creating and discovering invaluable things that contribute to the evolution of the world into something better. Underrepresentation limits these possibilities and slows down the development of technology while actively losing discoveries that could have been made otherwise. Even as women today come out of the shadows as they make groundbreaking discoveries, it is still our responsibility to take those out of the shadows who were pushed away in the past. So, research them out of the dark and spread the word to let the stars shine!
Sources
Barron, Madeline. “Esther Lederberg and the Rise of Microbial Genetics.” American Society for Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology, 4 October 2023, https://asm.org/articles/2023/october/esther-lederberg-microbial-genetics. Accessed 10 February 2024.
Chávez, Krystyna. “19 Discoveries by Women That Were Credited to Men.” Marie Claire, Marie Claire, 28 February 2019, https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/g5026/female-discoveries-credited-to-men/. Accessed 10 February 2024.
Dwyer, Mitchell K. “A Woman Who Changed the World | University of Hawai'i Foundation.” UH Foundation, UH Foundation, https://www.uhfoundation.org/impact/students/woman-who-changed-world. Accessed 10 February 2024.
Physics World. “Credit where credit's due? – Physics World.” Physics World, Physics World, 13 September 2012, https://physicsworld.com/a/credit-where-credits-due/. Accessed 10 February 2024.
