The biologist Rosalind Franklin, the astronomer Jocelyn Bell, the physicist Lise Meitner … Even Marie Curie sees her name almost systematically attached to that of her husband. Women are numerous in the history of science, but few have seen their names pass to posterity, victims of the “Matilda effect”. RFI is dedicating a special day on Monday March 8 to International Women’s Rights Day by honoring women scientists.
In the 1960s, science historian Margaret Rossiter studied a concept theorized by feminist activist Matilda Joslyn Gage at the start of the 20th century: this mania for men to appropriate the intellectual work carried out by women. Margaret Rossiter then extends this concept to the field of sciences and their history, and gives it a name: “ L‘Matilda effect ».
To rob women of their discoveries, to take credit for them, is a phenomenon almost as old as science. Margaret Rossiter thus discovers a striking example, in the 11th century, that of the Italian Trotula of Salerno. Woman doctor, renowned, she wrote many books dealing with women’s health which were referred to throughout the Middle Ages. However, these writings have for a very long time been falsely attributed to men; it was indeed unimaginable at the time that a woman could have been a doctor and teach at the medical school of Salerno.
Closer to us, another example illustrates this mania for not recognizing to women the part they played in scientific work. The story of Mileva Einstein is thus better known. Born Mileva Marić, she studied with Albert Einstein. The two students fall in love and work together. They married in 1903, and Mileva Einstein greatly participated in the research of her husband. However, he alone will be the signatory of the published articles, in particular the one on the photoelectric effect which will earn him, alone again, the Nobel Prize in 1921.
Rehabilitation and tribute
Marthe Gautier discovered the extra chromosome responsible for trisomy 21 in 1953. Yet it was Jérôme Lejeune, the assistant to its director who took advantage of it. Jocelyn Bell discovered pulsars in 1967 during her thesis. It was his thesis director who was nevertheless awarded the Nobel Prize in 1974. The affair nevertheless sparked a lively controversy, initiated by astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, scandalized by history.
Finally, there is the much better known example of Rosalind Franklin. We are in 1951 and there is then a real effervescence in cell biology laboratories to discover the shape of DNA. Rosalind Franklin was the first to take the photo of the double helix structure, a shot essential for the work of her colleagues Watson and Crick. They are the ones who will announce the discovery in 1953 in the review Nature and who won the Nobel Prize in 1962.
Rosalind Franklin died 4 years earlier, voluntarily forgotten. Today, however, it is rehabilitated. She will also receive a nice tribute. The next European robot that will roll on the planet Mars in 2022 to discover traces of past life will bear his name.
Special programming
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS DAY
Monday March 8
Throughout the day, RFI highlights the backgrounds and expertise of women, particularly from the scientific community. La radio du monde offers a special edition of “RFI Matin”, dedicated magazines, as well as special programming on the channels in foreign languages and exclusive content on digital environments.
► In ” RFI Morning »: From 7 am to 9 am, Nathalie Amar receives Laurence Devillers, professor specializing in artificial intelligence, and Francine Ntoumi, Congolese malaria specialist and president of the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research, and discusses women and digital technology, adult women’s literacy and science education with them.
► In ” Health priority », At 10:10 am, Caroline Paré offers a program on the theme: “Women: glass ceiling in medicine ? »And gives a voice to female doctors. It receives in particular Awa Marie Coll Seck, former Minister of Health and Social Action in Senegal and associate member of the National Academy of Pharmacy of France, Karine Lacombe, head of the infectious and tropical diseases department at Saint-Antoine Hospital, and Sabrina benbouzid, surgeon and urologist at Tenon Hospital.
“Priorité Santé” also devoted its program of December 14, 2020 to “ Women and health scandals », To (re) listen in podcast
► In ” 7 Billion neighbors… and neighbors!», At 11:10 am, Emanuelle Bastide dedicates its program to the consequences of the pandemic on girls’ education around the world. She receives Yvan Savi, director of the NGO Plan International, Mbaye Thiam, former Minister of Education of Senegal and vice-president of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and Armel Azihar Sly-Vania, Comorian activist from the NGO Imara Comoros.
► At 2:30 p.m., Pascal Paradou receives in “ De Vive (s) Voix » Lauren Bastide, for her book “Powder” (Ed. Marabout), taken from her eponymous podcast, in which since 2016 she has received more than 80 women writers, musicians, actresses, directors, activists and politicians.
► In ” Around the question », Caroline Lachowsky receives Vittoria Colizza, Research Director at Inserm and specialist in infectious disease modeling, she is notably conducting research on the modeling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
► At 9:10 p.m., Claudy Siar offers a program of ” Tropical colors»With a female artist committed to the defense of women’s rights.
Also to (re) listen
► « The World March » : Valérie Nivelon devotes, Sunday, March 7, a program to powerful black women with the historian Audrey Celestine, author of the book Combat lives (Ed. Iconoclasts).
►« Media Workshop » : Steven Jambot looks at women entrepreneurs in the media sector. With Marion pillas, one of the four co-founders of “La déferlante”, a French quarterly “post-metoo devoted to feminism and gender” andEmilie Friedli, director of the Creatis residence, for the launch of “Source”, a program aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs far from the media and cultural ecosystem.
► « The epic of black music » : Joe Farmer invites you to (re) discover the singer Shemekia Copeland, feminist and committed to women’s rights, notably on the occasion of the release of her new album “Uncivil War”.
► « Orient Hebdo » : Eric Battalion received this weekend, Anna Doranghicchia, expert on gender at the “Union for the Mediterranean”, to discuss the establishment of the first regional monitoring mechanism on gender equality.
– .
