Examination of the participation of women in physics and astronomy at each step up the academic ladder, starting with high school and ending with college and university faculty. Comparison of the representation of women earning bachelor's degrees and PhDs in physics and astronomy with the representation of women in other scientific disciplines. The authors look at how the representation of women earning degrees in various scientific disciplines has changed over time and at the question why women disproportionately leave these fields in stead of moving up the academic ladder.
This volume introduces significant women in astronomy, beginning with EnHeduanna, a Babylonian Chief Astronomer Priestess who lived around 2350 BCE, and Hypatia of Alexandria, a renowned fifth-century Greek scholar. Nineteen subsequent chapters, featuring scientists that include the first American to have discovered a comet and a designer of the Hubble space telescope, span the gap between ancient times and the present day. With the exception of Sally Ride, the subjects are not well known, but their achievements are notable. Other women astronomers are profiled briefly in sidebars. Photos and other images appear throughout the book, which is also brightened by tan and gold highlights. A worthy addition to science collections, this well-documented collective biography not only fills gaps in existing books on astronomers but also offers engaging accounts of the women’s careers as well as unusually clear explanations of what they achieved and why each discovery was important.