Resumen de Women in Chemistry:: Participation during the Early 20th Century
M. F. Rayner Canham, G. W. Rayner Canham
Though the progress of women in science is often perceived as a smooth continuum, our analysis of enrollments of women chemistry students in the early part of the twentieth century provides strong evidence of a maximum of participation in the late 1910s and early 1920s. Following a thorough literature search, we have found that others have made passing reference to this phenomenon in the context of the sciences and of academia in general. Our preferred explanation is that of a rise in anti-feminist sentiments following World War I when there was pressure for women to return to their traditional family roles and to abandon career aspirations. A secondary factor may have been the change in the nature of physical science research from collaborative to competitive environments during this time frame.
