Despite all they held in common, Florence Nightingale’s acceptance of the patriarchal status quo that women should be content to be nurses and not force their way into medical schools to become doctors drove a wedge between her and Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in America to receive a medical degree.
Tag: Women in STEM
Women’s Representation: Kim Janey Is Boston’s First Black Woman Mayor. How Can the U.S. Elect More?
Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.
This week: addressing the structural barriers in our winner-take-all-voting system; hear from a candidate in a ranked-choice voting election; Kim Janey became the first woman and first person of color to hold the office of mayor of Boston; Virginia may elect a Black woman as the Democratic nominee for governor; the Guide to Moving Money for Impact; Dr. Mamie Parker, a woman leader in the conservation movement; celebrating the contributions of *all* women; how to reach gender balance on corporate boards by 2024; and more.
‘Half the Board’: Demanding Gender Parity in Tech Boardrooms by 2025
Women have made up less than 25 percent of the hires in tech over the past 20 years. That needs to change, says Girls in Tech, a global nonprofit committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the tech sector.
For Women’s Day, the group is launching a campaign called “Half the Board: 50/50 by 2025″—and is kicking off with an open letter to the tech community from its board members demanding gender parity in tech boardrooms.
Women in Data Science Initiative Holds Global Conference to Celebrate International Women’s Day
The WiDS Worldwide Conference encourages women in data science to establish their own national and regional networks while participating in a broader global conversation.
Would You Like Your History With or Without Women?
Although women’s topics and individuals appear sporadically, textbooks marginalize women’s perspectives, historical context, and achievements—overlooking women’s history.
“Each time a woman reads a womanless history, she learns she is worthless.”
“The Doctors Blackwell” Recounts the Journey of the First Woman in Medicine
Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in America to receive a medical degree, in 1849. Becoming a doctor as qualified as any man was a noble ideological quest.
“The idea of winning a doctor’s degree gradually assumed the aspect of a great moral struggle,” she wrote, “and the moral fight possessed immense attraction for me.”
COVID-19 Data Scientist and Whistleblower Rebekah Jones Is a Profile in Courage
In May 2020, when it came time to present data on reopening, Rebekah Jones—a Florida-based scientist who studies disaster research and communications—was ultimately fired for refusing to manipulate the numbers.
Words like “insubordinate,” “crazy” and “bitch” have now all been thrown at Jones in an effort to degrade and derail her. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has targeted Jones—the state of Florida issued an arrest warrant for Rebekah Jones on Jan. 16, 2021 for unauthorized computer access.
Dr. Andrea Ghez, Only the Fourth Woman to Win the Nobel Prize for Physics, Shows the Rarity of High-Achieving Women in Science
Of more than 900 Nobel Prize laureates, 866 have been men, while only 56 have been women. Only 16 Nobel prize winners have been Black.
Last month, Ms. had the opportunity to speak with one of these women: Dr. Andrea Ghez, who won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics. As only the fourth woman (all of them white) to win the award for physics, Ghez understands the Nobel also confers on recipients the responsibility of serving as an international role model for girls contemplating careers in science and for women scientists.
We Need Leaders Like My Grandmother to Protect Doctors Like Me
When COVID-19 became a pandemic, I thought Americans would surely recognize and embrace the importance of science and public health. As a physician on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, I now see how misinformation and mistrust are instead exacerbating the crisis and putting healthcare workers like me at risk.
Now more than ever, I wish we had leaders like my grandmother, who knew that trustworthiness was the bedrock of leadership.
The Ms. Top Feminists of 2020
Despite the political, economic and public health challenges this year—or perhaps because of them—feminists mobilized, fought for our rights, and made progress on many of the issues we care deeply about.
From voter mobilization to reproductive justice, politicians to pop stars, here are our top feminists of 2020.