Often as women we have been overlooked and discouraged in our fields of interest. Well this is a new day and age – we no longer have limitations on the direction we choose! Or so we like to think.
When you find yourself fascinated by a specific subject, you have a natural desire and talent for it. Nothing should stop you from exploring it and learning more about it. Don’t allow others to influence you if it is truly a passion you desire.
Tonight, I decided to write about two interesting women. These women have impressed me because of the field they chose. It is interesting, and very inspiring, to learn how they managed to succeed in times when women were encouraged to learn only how to sew and cook.
The field both women chose is mathematics. I can even remember being told, as early as grade school, that mathematics, science, and history are usually subjects dominated by males. But this didn’t stop my curiosity or eagerness to learn. In fact I was more challenged to do so.
I didn’t become a great mathematician but I did enter the male dominated field of finance. So here’s my take on this perceived disaccord (to some anyway).
Sophie Germain
Sophie Germain was born in 1776 in Paris. Her father was a merchant and later became the director to the Bank of Paris.
Sophie was 13 years old when she found herself confined to her home because of the French Revolution. It was at this time that Sophie realized her passion for mathematics. She started teaching herself math from the books in her father’s library during the day. Because it was unappropriate for a female to study mathematics in the middle of the 19th century, her parents forbid her to continue at first. But Sophie was persistent, and her parents gave in to their daughter.
During this period, Sophie had two strikes against her. First, she was female. Second, she was middle class. It was socially acceptable for female aristocrats to study science and math; Sophie wasn’t lucky enough to belong to that kind of elite cirlce.
In 1794, the Ecole Polytecnique was opened in Paris. The purpose of the school was to train mathematicians and scientists for France. Women were not allowed to enroll there. Sophie was able to gain possession of several lecture notes of different courses. The lecture notes enabled her to learn from many of the most prominent mathematicians of her day.
Sophie submitted a paper on analysis to Professor Joseph Louis Lagrange (ever heard about the Lagrange equation? That’s him) – under the pseudonym of a former student. Lagrange was so impressed by the paper that he wanted to meet the author.
This was the turning point for Sophie. Langrange recognized Sophie’s abilities, and he became her mentor. He introduced Sophie to many scientists and mathematicians.
In 1804, Sophie began her lengthy correspondence with Carl Friedrich Gauss. (I have touched on Gauss in What Does It Take To Be An Entrepreneur.) Again, Sophie Germain concealed her gender. Gauss didn’t find out until 1807 that he had been mentoring a female.
Sophie continued to make great strides in mathematics, but due to her lack of a formal education, it took her longer to accomplish her goal. Then, in 1816, she finally won a contest on the third try. She submitted a winning paper on Memoir on the Vibrations of Elastic Plates.The judges did find her theory not to be revelatory, lacking thorough explanations at first.
After wining the contest, Sophie continued her work in the theory of elasticity. This is a major field in Mathematics. She also became the first woman to attend the Academy of Science – the first woman who was not married to a member of the Academy, that is.
Carl Friedrich Gauss recommended Sophie to the University of Gottengen for an honorary degree. Unfortunately, Sophie died of breast cancer before receiving the degree in 1831 post mortem.
Sophie undertook many obstacles to reach her success as a mathematician. She is best known for her work in number theory. I think this is a great story that sets standards.
Moving on.
Mileva Maric Einstein
Mileva Maric was born in Serbia in 1875. She and her family moved frequently because her father was in the military. Being a very intelligent student in 1891, she was accepted at the Royal Classical High School in Zagreb. To the date she had been accepted, this was an all male school. Mileva did well though and received high grades in both mathematics and physics.
She then moved to Switzerland and attended the Girls High School. After passing her final exam, she enrolled at the University of Zurich to study medicine for a semester.
Mileva decided that what she really wanted was to teach physics and mathematics in secondary schools, so she transferred to the Zurich Polytechnic. She was the only woman in her class of six students, and the fifth woman at all, to study mathematics and physics there. She studied the theory of numbers, analytical mechanics, and differential and integral calculus, to only name a few.
In 1899, Mileva took her intermediate exam. On a scale of 1-6, with 6 being the highest, she scored a grade average of 5.5. She was only surpassed by her classmate Albert, as in Albert Einstein. He was at the top of the class with a 5.7 average. In 1900, Mileva failed her test though; and she did not receive a teaching diploma. She also failed a second exam in 1901. She then decided to study for a PhD in physics under Heinrich Weber.
During this time, Albert Einstein and Mileva had become friends. They fell in love, and she became pregnant in 1901 by Albert.
Because Mileva wanted to give birth to her child at home, she moved back with her parents in Serbia while she was pregnant. She gave birth to their daughter Lieserl in 1902. What actually happened to the child is of some mystery though – she either died from scarlet fever, or was adopted in 1903. I have been digging deep, because this sounds very interesting, but I couldn’t find anything conclusive… Do you know about this? Please share if you do!
One year later: Mileva and Albert married and built their home in Switzerland. Their son Hans was born in 1904. In 1910, a second son Eduard was born. Unfortunately, the marriage between Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric ended in 1914. Einstein went on to pay her 5,600 Reichsmarks annually.
Did Albert Einstein have a helper?
Another very intriguing fact is that there was some controversy over whether or not Mileva had collaborated with Einstein on some of his papers in the early 1900s. It was decided that she had not participated in any of Albert’s work… But I again couldn’t find any conclusive evidence as to why. Very mysterious.
Allegedly, after Albert received the Nobel Prize in 1922, it was reported that he granted the money to Mileva as part of their divorce settlement.
Even more mystery!
Later in time, a lot of facts were discovered in personal correspondence between Albert and his second wife Elsa. His stepdaughter Margot had willed her parents’ personal letters to the Hebrew University. She also requested the letters not be made public until 20 years after her death.
In 2006, the letters were made public. It became public knowledge that the money from the Nobel Prize was not given to Mileva in trust for the boys, but instead, it was invested in the market and lost during the depression. Yes, it’s that flat.
So here you have two great women I admire, and I decided to write about. Both of these women followed their dream. They achieved so much by not being intimidated by gender or society. Mileva undoubtedly changed her path once becoming a mother, but her story is as inspirational Sophie’s.
What do you think about the role of a woman today?
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