Pioneering Women in American Mathematics: The Pre-1940 PhD's

摘要

A surprising statement sets the tone for the book; "More than 14 percent of the PhD's awarded in mathematics during the first four decades of the twentieth century went to women, a proportion not achieved again The main takeaway message, if trying to use this history to understand how to support women PhDs in mathematics and computer science today, is the import of teachers and advisors. As mentioned earlier, supportive undergraduate faculty were influential in these women's decisions to pursue a PhD, and two professors were single-handedly responsible for supervising the dissertations of 13% of these women. Though the number of students has increased, professors today should not underestimate the impact they can have on the total number of female PhDs simply by supporting the efforts of the ones who arrive in their department. For readers interested in research on women in mathematics, this book is a fundamental source. For the average reader, I recommend skimming the first eight chapters and using the bibliographic entries and embedded tables as an important reference. If you are interested in the specific history of your university, the book contains an extensive index.