Taking to the Field: A History of Australian Women in Science

by Jane Carey

If asked to name an Australian woman scientist from the past, very few could. Let’s change that. Histories of Australian science largely overlook women. Their absence gives the impression that, until recently, there were no Australian women scientists. But this is far from women formed a much larger proportion of the scientific community from the 1900s to the 1940s in Australia than in Britain or the United States, and numbers have only grown since. Why don’t women scientists make it into history books? Because women’s work is less cited than men’s and more likely to be forgotten. Taking to the Field is the first comprehensive history of Australian women in science from the colonial period to contemporary times. This untold story shows that women have played a greater role than is commonly recognised. From the first years of colonisation, women engaged in myriad scientific endeavours, ranging from botany to genetics to organic chemistry. There was a vibrant culture of women in science in the years up to 1945 – as academics, researchers, lab workers, teachers, writers and activists for science-based social reform. They outnumbered men in some fields. This is not a straightforward tale of progress or a simple celebration of unsung heroines. Some women were involved in darker episodes of colonial science and eugenics. Few women of colour were given opportunities for scientific exploration. But within these limitations, many remarkable individuals illuminated our understanding of the world. From the first female science graduate, Edith Dornwell, to Nobel laureate molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn, Australian women have had an outsized influence. The botanical collection of Western Australian Georgina Molloy, the discoveries of Tasmanian-born molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn and the research of Melbourne zoologist Georgina Sweet all tell a how Australian women in science have transformed the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

336 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2023

Reviews

[Azriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic book! Had to put it down a couple times and re-read to properly process what was being discussed as it's been so successfully hidden. I've learnt a lot from this book and will be recommending it to all my fellow women in STEM.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘On 16 December 1885, Edith Emily Dornwell became Australia’s first woman science graduate and the first woman to graduate from the University of Adelaide…’

When I was at primary school, early in the second half of last century, I wanted to be a scientist. My principal role model was Marie Curie. It didn’t occur to me (and was never mentioned by my teachers) that there were female role models within Australia. Alas, my love of science was not equalled by my ability in advanced mathematics. Once I lost the (male) teacher who made mathematics enjoyable and fun, I changed direction.

What, you may be wondering, do my recollections have to do with this book? Well, my main point is that as a child of the 1950s, the role of Australian women was mainly seen as homemakers, or within narrowly defined professional roles such as nursing and teaching. There were very few female doctors or lawyers in regional Tasmania, and I don’t remember learning about any female scientists.

‘In 1959 Dorothy Hill became Australia’s first woman professor – finally breaking this ‘glass ceiling’ for Australian women in science.’

I picked up this book with interest. As the blurb for this book states, histories of Australian science largely overlook women. And yet, between 1900 and the 1940s, women formed a large proportion of the scientific community in Australia (more than in either the UK or the USA). Their work, Ms Carey points out, is less often cited and more likely to be forgotten. Have you read ‘Lessons in Chemistry’, the novel by Bonnie Gamus? It may be fiction, but it makes several relevant, valid points.

Ms Carey’s history makes it clear that women have been involved in scientific endeavours since the first days of colonisation. I kept reading, learning about the positives (for example work undertaken by Elizabeth Blackburn in molecular biology, in botany by Georgiana Molloy and in zoology by Georgina Sweet. On the negative side, women were also involved in the pseudoscience of eugenics (the White Australia Policy has much to answer for).

Almost half of the book is taken up two appendices:

‘Women Studying Science at Australian Universities 1885-2020’
‘Women Staff of Australian Universities, 1929-1955’;

and a very comprehensive set of notes and an index.

I finished the book knowing more about the role various women had played in scientific endeavours and hoping that more students are made aware of their achievements. Yes, we do have female scientists in Australia, and I hope that we will have more (with equal recognition of their achievements) in future.

‘This is the nature of writing women’s history: chasing fragments of evidence across diverse locations and then stitching them together is a labour-intensive process that is very different to most ‘mainstream’ histories of ‘great men’, where navigating the archival record is far more straightforward.’

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Jeanette]

If you are looking for an academic record of women in science, this is definitely the book for you. It makes some interesting connections between where women fit in as demonstrators and were very involved in science both for good and ill just at lower levels than those that gained accollades.

[Rowena Eddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A history, fairly boringly written. The main take I got was that women in science in Australia had higher participation rates in the 1940s than the 1970s. Professors played an active role in discouraging them, and preferring second rate men.

[Julianne Quaine]

See The Conversation and Notes on iPhone for book review

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting exploration of women in science in Australia, naming many of the women involved. Some of the science was scary (think eugenics), and many of the early women in science were very privileged. This is an important and interesting read. It highlights discrimination in the mix.