1. Women in the World of Science

2. Why were women excluded?
Institutions excluded women
Associated with celibate males
Continued until the end of the 19th century
Why?
Medicine, philosophy and biology emphasized that women were inferior to men
Women associated with Scientific Revolution
Queen Christina of Sweden
Margaret Cavendish
Maria Winkelmann

3. Queen Christina of Sweden
Firm supporter of Religious Tolerance
Secretly a Catholic
Discussions with Descartes
Invited him to Sweden, Descartes died of pneumonia 10 days later
Abdicated…why?
To openly practice Catholicism OR
To publicly be part of scientific revolution
Queen Christina monument at St. Peter’s

4. Who is this?

5. Margaret Cavendish 6 books contributing to the Scientific Revolution
ONLY woman allowed into the Royal Society of London
Wrote for a female audience
Social circle and private tutoring (Noble Woman)
Received more criticism

6. Learning versus Wit Natural Philosophy Wit Learning
Men and women CAN be equal
Learning
Society limits women
Natural Philosophy
Supporter of Hobbes
Humans struggled between determinism and freedom

7. Maria Winkelmann German Astronomer Artisan Recognized by her peers
Husband and wife team
Berlin Academy: developed a calendar
Died: Maria was asked to leave
Assistant to astronomer son
Asked to leave