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Women and the Natural Sciences in Edwardian Britain

In Search of Fellowship

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Draws on archival material to reveal the stories of several lesser known women in science during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
  • Sheds light on a period of change from the 19th to the 20th century, where more women fought for and gained access to university education and education in the sciences
  • Appeals to scholars and readers interested in Edwardian Britain and science, women in science, and women’s studies

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
  2. Miss Sargant and a Botanical Web

    • Peter Ayres
    Pages 81-111
  3. Approved by Mrs Farquharson?

    • Peter Ayres
    Pages 113-126
  4. Microbiology Learned Through Practice

    • Peter Ayres
    Pages 127-143
  5. An Unavoidable Need for Male Support

    • Peter Ayres
    Pages 145-163
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 201-228

About this book

This book tells the story of how women first fought for inclusion among scientific societies in Edwardian Britain. Though educational opportunities in schools and universities were improving, there were few fellowships or chances of paid employment in the sciences.  Excluded from most scientific societies, women were deprived of not just the chance to share their scientific experiences with other enthusiasts but of mixing with and impressing potential employers. Barriers were overcome in many cases, but not in all. This book will explore the lives of individual women who were brave pioneers and by the outbreak of WWI had proved that they were the equals of men. Many at the heart of the struggle within the sciences were also involved in the fight for suffrage, their success in the sciences helping to change men's attitudes towards women.

Reviews

“This book provides considerable details and bibliographic entries for those women who were the first to step into the scientifc societies devoted to natural sciences in London in the early twentieth century. … This work thus gathers together a wealth of material on a question that needs further inquiry and investigation … . We owe it to the author to have frmly pointed us in that direction.” (Brigitte Van Tiggelen, Metascience, Vol. 32 (3), 2023)

“It is well suited for researchers interested in women’s education, women in the sciences, amateur contributions to the sciences, and the response of scientific societies to changing social conditions. … The book can certainly be recommended for a graduate seminar, or perhaps some chapters could be assigned to undergraduates as case studies illustrating the contributions of women in the sciences, both in terms of research and in terms of creating educational and mentor structures to promote and circulate that research.” (Andre Michael Hahn, Isis, Vol. 112 (3), September, 2021)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Peter Ayres

About the author

Peter Ayres is an Emeritus Professor of Lancaster University, UK. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Women and the Natural Sciences in Edwardian Britain

  • Book Subtitle: In Search of Fellowship

  • Authors: Peter Ayres

  • Series Title: Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46600-8

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-46599-5Published: 24 June 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-46602-2Published: 24 June 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-46600-8Published: 23 June 2020

  • Series ISSN: 2730-972X

  • Series E-ISSN: 2730-9738

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIX, 228

  • Number of Illustrations: 15 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: History of Science, Women's Studies, History of Britain and Ireland, Social History

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access