Introduction -
Through the ages, the representation of women has been overlooked due to the bias in society that leans towards a preference for men. Their identity is limited to mother, daughter, and sister, where they were viewed and limited as individuals who are dependent on their male counterparts. Even if they achieve something substantial, society turns a blind eye towards them. However, in reality, women not only invented but also redefined the concepts of technology, science, and their identity within society. Women were often viewed as individuals with lesser intelligence and credibility in rational and technical thinking. These ideologies were evident in various spheres of science, technology, media, politics, and even literature. However, there has been a dynamic shift in this thought process.
This article discusses the various women inventors who have shaped the technology that has been essential even in the present day. They contested the misogynistic and patriarchal notion that restricted them within the limits set by society. While they were dismissed in most situations, there were a few women who managed to cross the boundaries.
Case study -
Ada Lovelace - Ada Lovelace was born to a popular English poet, Lord Byron in the year 1815. Her mother was very supportive of her interest in Mathematics and supported her especially after her divorce. She was intrigued with the idea of “The Difference Engine” created by Charles Babbage which was a prototype of a calculating machine. She added her notes on Babbages’s second project called “Analytical Engine” resulting in the world’s first algorithm that was beyond numerical calculations. That made her the first computer programmer in history.
Hedy Lamarr: Hedy Lamarr was a popular Hollywood actress from the 1930s who was from Austrian-American descent. While she was popular for her acting and beauty, many people didn’t know about her exceptional knowledge. One of her creations was the frequency-hopping communication system. The primary purpose of this system was to guide torpedoes in intercepting enemy targets during the war. While the US Navy initially dismissed this system, it was later used during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Her foundational idea also became the core factor behind Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi. Hedy’s life story gives us an insight of the perspective of society which judged them on the basis of their appeal where their talents were undermined.
Katsuko Saruhashi: During the time when global warming was not as widely understood, Japanese geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi developed a system to measure the carbon dioxide levels in seawater. Analyzing the oceans' absorption of carbon dioxide provided insight into the balance of the world’s carbon cycle, which was in turn essential for understanding global warming. Saruhashi was not well known outside Japan but regarded as one of the best women to have served as a member of the Science Council of Japan where she was the first female member in the 1980s. She spent all her years encouraging science as a professional avenue for women.
Marie Van Brittan Brown: In 1966, Marie created the idea for the first home security system, drawing on her personal experience of slow police response during critical times and the lack of safety in her New York neighborhood. Her system primarily consisted of a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and an alert button that could be used in an emergency. She was marginalized due to her gender and race, but her idea became the key feature for the modern-day home security systems that have been globalized and accepted worldwide.
Rosalind Franklin: She was a chemist who did her research on X-ray diffraction images that helped in identifying the double helix structure found in DNA.While she was responsible for researching, James Watson and Francis Crick were the ones who won the Nobel Prize. Her unpublished research to the Medical Research Council was referred by them without her knowledge and she was never acknowledged for research work. Her identity came into being after she passed away in the year 1958 due to ovarian cancer. This instance was an example of dismissal of a woman and ignorance about her work in the field of science. Yet again, the ideas of women inventors were referred to, but they were never credited for their work.
Why were they forgotten?
The pushing of women to the sidelines and ignoring them was not simply coincidental. It was due to deeply rooted patriarchy, culture, and the blindsightedness of their community and institutions. Over the past many centuries, women around the world have been restricted to the basic accessibility of education which in turn restricted their growth. Even after they tried to contribute, they were overly criticized or their ideas were judged and viewed with skepticism. Even when a few women managed to cross the boundaries of domestic spheres, they were often supervised by male colleagues. They were not allowed to grow beyond assistants because they were perceived as being obedient, soft, and less experienced. Men were usually credited through authority and recognition. Even though these women did their best, and were at par with their male counterparts, their representation was rigged against them due to dominant control by men.
Conclusion -
There is a significant shift in society that has begun to represent women in various fields that were previously overlooked, including science, literature, and the arts. This has been achieved by highlighting them through the foundation of knowledge and education, which helps counter the notion of ********** and overrepresentation of their male counterparts. This has not only helped in shaping our present but also our future, where they are no longer invisible, or seen as lesser individuals.
