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| Dr. Marge Murray Presents "Women Becoming Mathematicians" | ||||
| Why
would anyone want to know about women who received Ph.D.'s in mathematics
in the 1940s? We asked Dr. Margaret Murray, author of "Women
Becoming Mathematicians: Creating a Professional Identity in Post-World
War II America" (MIT Press, 2000). Her book profiles the lives of 36 women who got their doctorates in mathematics around the time of World War II. Dr. Murray spoke about the book as well as her experience in the field of mathematics in an interview with Kojo Nnamdi, host of the nationally syndicated talk show Public Interest, in November 2000. She recently presented a talk at Radford University, as part of the Women's Studies brown bag series. Dr. Murray reported that when she initially became interested in looking at the pattern of women getting Ph.D.'s in mathematics, she assumed that the number of women would start out slow and follow a linear progression. Although Dr. Murray 
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thought
the numbers would show a steady growth, her research
contradicted that hypothesis. Murray found that women's achievements in math have not been steady. In fact, the post-war period was a time when women had a strong foot-
However, percentages dropped from around 14% to only 6% after this period ended. The empty positions left behind by men participating in World War II caused what Murray calls a "Rosie effect" (in reference to |
Rosie the
Riveter) allowing
women to
earn over one third of the degrees in mathematics. There were many women who couldn't afford graduate school, but were inspired by the women's suffrage movement to pursue their degrees. These women, who had deferred their scholarly ambitions until the early 1940s, benefited from the opportunities presented once men were away in the services. Schools needed to recruit students, and there were fewer financial constraints. But when men returned to school on the GI bill after the war was over, Murray reported, a "Rosie backlash" occurred. At this time, math became an increasingly masculine field in a way that it hadn't been before. As mathematics gained significance as an important field, the percentage of women getting degrees in the field flattened. Murray stated that this was the worst time for women to get a Ph.D. in mathematics.
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Original Newsletter Developed by 2000-2001 Graduate Assistant: Pam Alexander Newsletter and Site Director: Dr. Hilary Lips |
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