More than half of the 1.5 million people of Estonia are women. The situation of women in physics is similar to that in many countries: women are remarkably underrepresented. The disproportion increases up the academic and administrative ladder, starting from very first steps of the education system. The reasons for women avoiding or leaving physics belong to the realms of history, economics, and sociology. Specialists of these disciplines should be involved in studying the reasons and finding effective strategies for improving the situation of women in physics. The history of gender-related issues in Estonia is multilayered. As the mostly foreign power over this country changed often, so also changed the position of women in society. Almost any distribution of tasks and rights between men and women can be claimed to be "the genuine Estonian tradition." The old peasant tradition of Estonia considers women and men as different, but as equal partners. This tradition honored strength and intellect in both men and women. Women in Estonia were never possessions or objects of trade for men. Although a clear distinction was made between the tasks of men and women, there has always been a large area that both shared.
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