The Matilda Effect

STOLEN LIGHT

Have you ever been robbed by someone close to you?

It feels like sitting in a classroom full of students where your answers, though correct, go unheard, drowned out by a louder voice. It makes you sad, and at the same time, it makes you feel small. That is what the Matilda Effect is: “Systematic underestimation or non-recognition of women’s scientific achievements”. Yes, history now remembers them. Some receive respect and acknowledgment in books, research, and documentaries, but the official honors still mostly go to men.

Margaret W. Rossiter was the one who named this effect after Matilda Joslyn Gage, a women’s rights activist, who first wrote about how women’s contributions in science and invention were often erased or credited to men.

FADING INTO THE BACKGROUND

Mileva Maric wasn’t just Einstein’s wife. She was a brilliant physicist and a woman ahead of her time. Her identity often gets reduced to “the wife of a genius”. Many still debate that Mileva contributed to Einstein’s paper, but he never gave her public credit.

The first computer ever created was in the mid-1800s by Ada Lovelace (a woman). Charles Babbage’s computer was his invention, but Ada Lovelace’s research gave it purpose. She wrote the first algorithm, making her the world’s first computer programmer.

There are many such examples: Rosalind Franklin, who played a crucial role in the discovery of the structure of DNA, and Caroline Herschel, who discovered several comets. Lise Meitner was a key contributor to nuclear fission. Janaki Ammal, who worked on plant genetics, has not had her contribution widely recognised by her male colleagues.

Ask a child to draw a scientist, and 99% of the time, they’ll sketch a man in a white coat. Ask them to name a scientist; chances are it will be a man, too. That’s the essence of the Matilda Effect.

The impact is huge. It discourages women from pursuing STEM careers. According to studies, the Matilda Effect has always been in play; we must take immediate steps to encourage more women to explore and steal the show.

BUT THE QUESTION STILL LINGERS, “HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ROBBED OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND REMEMBERED HOW SMALL IT MADE YOU FEEL?”

~ Bhumi Patil
CSE (Student), Technocrats Institute Of Technology & Science