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Women In Modern Science During The Enlightenment

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The Scientific Revolution was the birth of modern science which took place in the mid-sixteenth and early eighteenth centuries (Strayer). Strayer argues that it was ‘a period of vast intellectual and cultural transformation” that challenged religion, the position of the church and the existing understanding of the universe. The Enlightenment Period which defined the eighteenth century was a movement with the goal to transform and improve human society through the evolution of knowledge and education in Europe and North America. The purpose of this essay is twofold. First, I highlight the key points of view used to challenge the position of women in modern science during the Enlightenment period: Science was used to legitimize gender inequalities
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During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe, many women were not only actively participating in scientific research, but they were making extraordinary breakthroughs that men before them had not been able to accomplish. This resulted in many different reactions and responses towards women scientists. First, many men thought that women had no place in science at all, and that women should be restricted to work in the household. Secondly, many women had to go against the societal norms at the time, and take part in higher education. Thirdly, many heated arguments took place between people who disagreed.

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During the Scientific Revolution and even much before it, Women were seen as weak minded, distracted if not wanting a husband,and that they were not speaking truth if they had their own ideas about different topics. Women of the time were often quiet towards the ideas of speaking up or out about ideas that were against those of a man or those of the catholic church. The heliocentric idea of the universe, although was published in 16th century, it was still widely disowned by the Catholic Church, who believed in a geocentric view of our solar system because there was “no proof of the Earth moving”. This lead to the development of the Scientific Method which was developed by both Francis Bacon and René Descartes. The scientific Revolution allowed women to increase equality through creation of accurate theories through theses, mostly accurate data, and it made Men consider Women’s ideas and not just think that they were crazy because they decided to have different views than the Men.

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This movement challenged traditional beliefs–most of which originally centered around Christian theology–and developed a background in modern science, along with a newfound curiosity and understanding of nature, man, and religious relationships with God. Through major shifts in European society following the events of the Protestant Reformation, a new way of thinking–combined with a fascination with nature and the physical universe–led to the rise of challenging traditional sources of authority and pre-established, conventional ways of thought. This movement which took place within a roughly 150-year span was known as the “century of genius”, an era that birthed many great minds: Shakespeare, Galileo, Descartes, Locke, and Rousseau, among many others. During and following the time of the Scientific Revolution, ideas pertaining to science and the universe would find themselves separated from philosophy and religious conjectures. This led to a more rational and empirical approach to knowledge, which challenged the authority of traditional institutions and contributed to the rise of

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European politics, philosophy, and science were radically changed during the 17th and 18th centuries during a period called the Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers throughout Europe questioned cultural norms and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change. Science had been mostly a male field of study during this age. It was extremely rare for women to enter this field, but during the Enlightenment, the idea that the minds of women can equal that of men became more popular. Many people believed that women did not have the intelligence to be involved in science, while some others believed that even if women could be held on the same intellectual level as men, it was socially unacceptable; on the other hand,

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Women tried their hardest to bridge the gap between the two sexes and to bring equality as a forefront to Enlightenment ideas, and although successful trailblazers emerged, most of their intellectual findings remain in the background of their male counterparts because of conservative and sexist beliefs. It is no secret that the Enlightenment was geared mainly around male philosophers and their new revolutionary thoughts, but there are some eighteenth-century women that were able to us

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«We want to end gender inequality, and to do this, we need everyone involved. » Miss Watson’s speech shows that even though many of us believe that current generation lives in truly emancipated era, this is not true. Even though we live in the era of gender and racial ‘equality’ the issue of sex inequality is still ‘on’ and still not resolved. Emma Watson’s speech has inspired many women as well as men. It also has inspired me to shift my focus from the influence of David Hume’s text on the E.H. Carr, to the role of feminism and women during the period of Enlightenment.

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A woman during the Enlightenment period was not accepted in pure academics, but they could find education from somewhere else, and they could have risks for searching for education. A woman during the Enlightenment period was not accepted in pure academics. A woman was not accepted in academics mainly because men believed woman were ignorant and would not be capable of understanding what man learn. Men at this time believed that women should only attend classes on how to become a perfect housewife to their husbands. The first image of this is seen when Madame du Chatelet was excluded from the Royal Academy of Sciences.

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The Enlightenment was a reshaping of Europe's political, philosophical and scientific model during the 17th century. This was a time of rehashing old customs and creating new ones. Many philosophical thinkers challenged the boundaries set by tradition led mostly in France and England, the most powerful countries at the time. Even though the Enlightenment created many new and unheard of rules were created but mainly one ideology stayed the same, gender roles. Even though there were many female scientists who made breakthroughs in the fields of chemistry, astronomy, biology, botany, physics and medicine they were hardly recognized and still were expected to be “in the household.”

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The Enlightenment brings upon new ideas from “[groups] of writers and scholars who [believe] that human begins could apply to a critical and reasoning spirit to every problem they [encounter] in the world…scrutinizing everything from absolutism…to the traditional role of women in society” (Hunt et al, 514). A major turn of events in the Enlightenment arose specifically on the viewpoints of women and their role in society. Major debates sparked and it is the first time that women are able to express their views. Major contributors for the voice of feminism include Mary Astell and Mary Wollstonecraft, both supporters for female education. What came with the views of female empowerment came the views of those who saw females as merely caregivers to the male population.

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A book called A Vindication of the Rights of Women, by Mary Wollstonecraft is a source to learn about the feminist movements of the 1800’s. The book can be described as poetic in a way, a quote being “ I do not with for woman to have power over men, but over themselves”(Wollstonecraft). She goes on to explain how education of woman is also very important because this would inspire woman from all over to rise up and fight for their rights. “Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience”(Wollstonecraft). This book is a great example of how the word spread around Europe about feminism.

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In their efforts to explain why women are not equally represented in science, experts are often quick to point fingers at different reasons: biological differences, cultural expectations, and simple differences in preference, to name a few. Of course, there is no single reason explaining why women are not as represented in scientific fields as men are. There are so many different factors that can affect a woman’s decision to enter STEM fields that it is impossible to pinpoint one defining moment in her life that forces her hand. In this paper, I will confront these three potential explanations for the lack of women in science in an attempt to answer the question, “Why aren’t more women in science?” Before any discussion on the matter, it

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Have you ever heard that you can’t do anything because of you’re a woman? Most women have, as I grew up I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of women in the field of science. If I did they were just nurses never the doctors or surgeons. I have always liked science; my parents never discouraged me from liking something the “guys” liked or did.

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