- Marie Curie- a Case Study
Marie Skłodowska Curie, one of the world’s most celebrated scientists, shattered the glass ceiling of the male-dominated scientific world and proved that women can be true scientists through their own achievements. She studied at the Sorbonne, won the Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry, traveled the world as a celebrated scientist, and became the first female professor at the University of Paris. Her life story is one of brilliance and accomplishment, and today she might be one of the most famous scientists in history. However, despite her incredible achievements, she was held back by gender discrimination.
Many of Curie’s life choices were impacted by her being a woman. Women weren’t allowed to attend university in her native Poland, and so Marie was forced to leave home to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. As a young scientist, Curie faced unimaginable obstacles. She had trouble obtaining a laboratory and income as a scientist. Despite the prejudice and discrimination she faced, she was determined to be a true scientist.
Marie married Pierre Curie, a fellow scientist in 1895. Unlike many men at the time, Pierre supported Marie in her science, vouched for her, and shared his lab. Marie was able to take advantage of the respect her husband received to publicize her discoveries.
The Curies were brilliant researchers and discovered radium and radioactivity. However, Marie did not receive her share of credit. After their discovery, Pierre was invited to speak at the Royal Institution in London, but Marie was not allowed. In 1903, the Curies won a Nobel Prize in Physics. Despite the fact that Marie was as equal a contributor to the research as Pierre, it was only the advocacy of powerful male scientists that led to her receiving the prize. After they won, Pierre was offered positions at multiple prestigious universities, but due to her gender Marie was not.
It wasn’t until her husband’s tragic death, that Marie was offered an academic position that matched her accomplishments, and that was only because the University of Paris let Marie take over Pierre’s position. That led to her being the first female professor there. Even then, Marie still did not have access to the full scientific community. She was not admitted to the French Academy of Sciences and had to research on her own. In 1911 Marie Curie won her second Nobel Prize for isolating radium, becoming the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.
Despite her incredible accomplishments, the media attention Marie Curie received was always based on her gender. Articles focused on her role as a mother and drummed up scandals about her romantic relationships. The fact that she was foreign compounded the discrimination she faced, a problem that persists today.
If Marie had the same opportunities and environments that male scientists had at the time, who knows what extraordinary scientific accomplishments she could achieve? Marie was lucky because she had the support of Pierre, but she shouldn’t have needed that luck. She herself was a scientist and that should have been enough.
Marie’s story is not unique to her. This injustice is a cultural norm. Throughout history, women have been excluded from educational opportunities, especially those in the sciences. Even 100 years after Marie Curie showed what’s possible, there are fewer female scientists than male scientists. Even today, stereotypes that women aren’t as scientifically inclined are prevalent. From the time they are children, females hear that they aren’t intelligent enough to be in science, and look around and see that the scientists around them are mostly men. An important study showed that girls who were asked their gender before a math test did worse on the test than girls who weren’t. These experiences stick in people’s heads and cause them to doubt their own abilities, and think of themselves as “women who are incapable of doing science.”
- Changing the Fundamental Cause of Gender Bias
The 20th century is notable for its fight for civil rights. Throughout the world, people fought for gender, racial and religious equality. Women fought against gender inequality both in the sciences and in the rest of society. They started to form organizations and clubs to discuss and revolt against gender inequalities. Over the last 100 years, more women entered science which led to a change in society’s attitude toward women scientists. They began getting recognized for their contributions, became mentors, and started inspiring the next generation of women scientists.
However, despite the significant progress made in the past several decades, challenges persist. According to the women in STEM forum I initiated last year, one question was that in STEM, compared to males, females are facing underprivileged numbers plus resources. Have you experienced similar scenarios? Do you think the community you live in provides enough resources to girls in Math/Science? Here are the responses.
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Vivian L.: “I participated in lots of math competitions; however, the ratio between girls and boys is always imbalanced, and those competitions were mostly male-dominated. However, my experience with InteGIRLS has been incredibly positive and has made a big difference in my
STEM journey. InteGIRLS is an organization dedicated to empowering young women in math and science. They provide numerous resources and opportunities specifically for girls, which has been a game-changer for me and many of my friends. But I do hope there won’t be any girl-specific empowering programs to deal with gender equity needed in the future.”
Hannah H.: “In many of my classes and extracurricular activities, there are significantly fewer girls than boys, which can sometimes make it feel like I’m out of place or lacking support. For example, I joined WT’s Science Olympiad team in middle school, but I was surprised at the fact that most members of the team were boys, and the few girls who were on the team were not confident enough to make big decisions or play a major role. We are easily overlooked.”
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Apparently, these are not coincidences. Similar situations happen in a larger community. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s data in 2021, women held only about 25.5% of parliamentary seats and 10% of heads of state or government worldwide. Women are underrepresented in executive positions in large corporations around the world. Only 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Today, we still live in a male-dominated society, and men still occupy the majority of leadership positions in government, business, and social life. This is a global issue with a huge impact. When women aren’t represented in leadership, their voices are diminished. This is the same in science. The percentage of women in the global scientific workforce has stubbornly hovered around 30% for over a decade, and a high rate of women are quitting science due to gender pay gaps and bias.
An inherent paradox in science is that while our exploration of the ultimate truth may be rational, the unfair bias towards people who study it is inherently irrational, which could be the barrier to great inventions and development in the human world. The lack of women’s voices would cause the imbalance of only benefiting part of the society, not the whole. Luca gave a holistic view of the benefits of gender diversity in fostering innovation and problem-solving in the STEM industry from the forum.
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Luca P.: “Both genders, in general, are necessary for a STEM industry to succeed, or for society to thrive. Men employees would know what men need, and women employees would know women’s necessities. It’s like employees in an industry represent different groups of people in society which will make the final product more compatible and cater to various groups of people’s needs.”
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A great example in biology where gender diversity has made a significant impact is the development of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The initial research and development of the HPV vaccine greatly benefited from the involvement of female scientists and healthcare professionals who brought attention to the critical need for a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, which primarily affects women.
Achieving true gender diversity in science goes beyond simply increasing the number of women in the field; it requires a fundamental change in mindset for everyone. Society should be aiming for more than equal access to resources and opportunities for all genders; we must cultivate an environment that values diverse perspectives. Women should empower every woman to be confident that they are capable of pursuing a career in science as Marie did.
Having an inclusive environment is still far from enough. There have to be more channels to
pushing the movement further forward. Guilds, or professional organizations, are one of the channels for women scientists to pursue equality at work. What guilds need to do is increase the proportion of women leaders in the community, speak up for female workers in all occupations, defend the legitimate rights and interests of women, and eventually boost the formation of more women’s unions, especially women scientists’ associations.
Government action is necessary to combat gender bias. Legislative bodies should pass laws to ensure that women’s rights and interests in work and life are protected, and at the same time encourage and guide women to enter the authoritative class in various industries, which includes female scientific researchers. Executives need to ensure that laws work as intended and provide positive guidance to the public through social media or giving speeches. They also have to provide women with better education and knowledge to be at the same starting point as men. Lastly, the judiciary should interpret laws in ways that are neutral rather than patriarchal.
Marie Curie made great contributions to the progress of human science and technology. What society needs to do should not only praise her contributions but also make it a paradigm and expand its influence.
It took generations for women to obtain the right to vote, but it is taking even longer to shift stereotypes and cultural norms. Women have always faced challenges and struggles, and the fight we face today is part of this larger fight.
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Some further thoughts on tackling the stereotypical bias from the forum:
Nora F.: “I think, on the basic level, it’s to spread the message and inspire people; but I also do think there are lots of major reforms that need to be done in academic institutions because there are individuals out there jeopardizing women’s careers because the negative voices those individuals make. So one way of having more women spreading the right messages is that people have to fix those individuals and get rid of their voices first.”
Lucas P.: “This is an outside-looking perspective, but I think two things will help. One is to have an equal population of male and female teachers. WT did it well, but I’ve been to a school where all science teachers, or basically all teachers are male, so I guess having some female teachers will be helpful. Also, creating a space for girls to comfortably express their passions and opinions for science.”
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