The History of Women in STEAM

First Woman to Obtain an MD

1836

Elizabeth Arden, a physician, was the only female member of the British associations for 19 years. She was the first woman to obtain an MD.

Nobel Peace Prize

1868

Marie Currie was the first woman to receive the nobel prize award for the discovery of radioactivity.

Training during World War II

1939

Women began getting trained in science and engineering by the government and industry before World War II, as the men holding those positions had to leave to serve. This work in STEM was referred to as "scientific manpower."

Participation during the Cold War

1947

Women started becoming more involved in STEM during the Cold War. The official government line during the Cold War was: STEM careers for everyone!
This change in gender norms, pushing women to be more involved in science and technology, resulted in women and girls to be confused about their role in society.
In the 1950s, coding was known as women's work.

Chemist Betty Lou Raskin: Brains over Beauty

1959

"They have made the mink coat, not the lab coat, our symbol of success. They’ve praised beauty, not brains. They’ve emphasized leisure time, not hard work and originality. As a result, today’s schoolgirl thinks it far more exciting to serve tea on an airplane than to foam a new lightweight plastic in the laboratory."
Raskin called for female scientist characters on television and film. She published an essay in the New York Times Magazine: “Women’s Place Is in the Lab, Too.”