Women Becoming Mathematicians: Creating a Professional Identity in Post-World War II America

by Margaret A.M. Murray

Women mathematicians of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s and how they built professional identities in the face of social and institutional obstacles.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Margaret A. M. Murray, formerly Professor of Mathematics at Virginia Tech, is Lecturer in Rhetoric and Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at the University of Iowa.

Reviews

[Lisa Reed]

I bought this book while searching for information about one of the women profiled in it. Because of that, I might have preferred a different format, and there are other specific women’s stories I want to re-read and trace from beginning to end. But in general, this seems to be a well-researched, well written book. It is full of great anecdotes about women in mathematics, but the themes will resonate with those in any professional field.

[Matteo]

I read bits of this book while I was doing research for a paper in a math history class. The part I found most interesting was the description of the sexist obstacles faced by many women entering the profession at that time.

[Michaela]

Fascinating, full accounts of these women's lives and the diverse ways they tackled sexism and general difficulties in establishing careers and balanced lives. It is beautifully interesting, despite the academic (almost dull) sounding title. I loved it.