Matilda Effect
The Matilda Effect, or “φαινόμενο Ματίλντα” in Greek, describes the attribution of scientific achievements by women to male scientists. This bias against the recognition of women in research and science is presented by @kourafelkythros through 8 unique illustrations. Each illustration highlights a female scientist or researcher whose work was credited to a male counterpart.
Matilda Effect
The Matilda Effect, or “φαινόμενο Ματίλντα” in Greek, describes the attribution of scientific achievements by women to male scientists. This bias against the recognition of women in research and science is presented by @kourafelkythros through 8 unique illustrations. Each illustration highlights a female scientist or researcher whose work was credited to a male counterpart.
Rosalind Franklin
The discovery of the structure of DNA is widely attributed to Jim Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins. However, their breakthrough relied heavily on the research of British biophysicist and crystallographer Rosalind Franklin. At the time, women in science faced significant barriers in claiming or publicizing their work. It remains uncertain whether Crick, Watson, and Wilkins stole Franklin’s data or used publicly available data without her permission, subsequently taking credit for it. Nevertheless, it is generally agreed that Franklin’s contributions were not properly acknowledged. Had Franklin been alive in 1962, when Crick, Watson, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize, she should have been included as a recipient.
Jean Purdy
Modern correspondence reveals that Jean Purdy, an embryologist and nurse, played a pivotal role in the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization in 1978. Despite this, Purdy was excluded from the honorary plaque commemorating the achievement at the participating hospitals. One of the credited individuals, Professor Sir Robert Edwards, sought to include Purdy’s name but faced rejection from local health authorities.
Alice Ball
In the early 20th century, Alice Ball, a chemist, worked at the University of Hawaii on a treatment for leprosy, a disease ravaging the islands at the time. Ball was the first African-American woman to earn a graduate degree at the university and the first female chemistry professor. Tragically, she died at the age of 24. Subsequently, another chemist claimed credit for her work, and for decades, the treatment was known as the “Dean Method.”
Trotula of Salerno
Trotula of Salerno, also known as Trota, was a prominent medieval female physician. Her contributions to medicine were met with skepticism, with her work—and even her very existence—being questioned. Many found it inconceivable that such groundbreaking work could have come from a woman, leading to theories that she was actually a man or that she was entirely fictional.
Marthe Gautier
While studying Down syndrome, Marthe Gautier identified the presence of an additional chromosome. However, due to the limitations of her low-power microscope, she could not confirm or photograph her findings. In June 1958, Gautier agreed to let Jérôme Lejeune photograph her slides. Lejeune, who was also studying Down syndrome using different tools, identified the 47th chromosome that Gautier had already observed. Six months later, Gautier, who had been the first to notice the chromosomal anomaly, discovered that the research was to be published in the journal of the French Academy of Sciences. Lejeune was listed as the first author, while Gautier’s name appeared second and was misspelled.
Theano
Theano was an ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 6th century BC. She is regarded as one of antiquity’s most notable astronomers and cosmologists. Initially a student and later the wife of Pythagoras, Theano taught mathematics and astronomy at his schools. After his death, she actively promoted his teachings. Historical evidence suggests that significant theories, including the “Golden Ratio,” were her original contributions. While her work was celebrated in her time and inspired many, some historians of antiquity and modernity chose to overlook her scientific achievements.
The new Matilda Effect
The final illustration of the “Matilda Effect” series.
We extend our gratitude to @kourafelkythros, who, through his exceptional illustrations, presented the Matilda Effect as part of Researchers’ Night. The Matilda Effect highlights the systemic bias against recognizing women in research and science, attributing their scientific achievements to male scientists instead.
