The “forgetfulness” that still overshadows the work of women scientists

The death of the French doctor Marthe Gautier, co-discoverer of the chromosome responsible for Down’s Syndromeputs back on the table the debate around the “forgot” suffered by women scientists.

Marthe Gautier’s role was only recognized in the 2010s, despite her work alongside her male colleagues, the professors. Jerome Lejeune Y Raymond Turpin.

His last name, misspelled, barely appeared in the background in the signatures of the scientific article that caused a sensation in 1959, when explaining the chromosomal origin of the syndrome.

A scientific ethics committee reinstated the name of the scientist in 1994 by recognizing that “the role of Jérôme Lejeune was probably not very prominent” in the genesis of the discovery.

His case is reminiscent of the British rosalind franklinchemist who identified the double helix structure of DNA. The Nobel Prize of Medicine of 1962 was however attributed to three men for that discovery.

British astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell discovered the first pulsar in 1967. But the Nobel Prize went to his thesis director, without his name appearing anywhere.

“The Matilda Effect”

A historian of science Margaret Rossitercame to issue a theory on this discrimination in the early 1990s, following the work of the sociologist Robert King Merton.

According to Margaret Rossiter, the darkening suffered by the collaborators of great scientific personalities grows when it comes to female assistants.

The “Matilda effect”named after a feminist activist, Matilda Joslyn Gageinvestigates this phenomenon that makes women invisible in science.

“In the 19th century, women in Europe were practically excluded from the world of science in the name of their alleged natural inferiority”Explain Louis Pascal Jacquemondhistorian specializing in women and science.

This situation lasted for decades in the 20th century. This is the case of the wife of Albert Einsteinphysics Mileva Maric.

The name of Marie Curie she usually appears next to her husband’s.

was the acquaintance “glass roof” that for a long time prevented women from accessing decision-making positions or scientific renown, despite the fact that “The policies of democratization of education after World War II that increase the number of young people and women in science”explains Jacquemond.

“Exceptional” women

Even in the XXI century, “high-level women scientists are still considered exceptional”deplores this specialist.

“For a long time the role of women was perceived as subordinate, auxiliary”Add Sylvaine Turck-Chièzephysical.

Women’s names are not mentioned as often as they should be in school books, she laments. Natalie Pigeard-Micaultspecialist in History of Medicine and women. “It gives the impression that scientific research is limited to a handful of women”Add.

“Women in the scientific branches (in secondary schools) are very good students, but they don’t have the fiber, they don’t learn to fight against invisibility, to defend themselves when someone takes over their work”explains Ophélie Latil, founder of a French association that organizes workshops in secondary schools to change the situation.