More than 14 percent of the PhD's awarded in the United States during
the first four decades of the twentieth century went to women, a
proportion not achieved again until the 1980s. This book is the
result of a study in which the authors identified all of the American
women who earned PhD's in mathematics before 1940, and collected
extensive biographical and bibliographical information about each of
them. By reconstructing as complete a picture as possible of this
group of women, Green and LaDuke reveal insights into the larger
scientific and cultural communities in which they lived and worked.
The book contains an extended introductory essay, as well as
biographical entries for each of the 228 women in the study. The
authors examine family backgrounds, education, careers, and other
professional activities. They show that there were many more women
earning PhD's in mathematics before 1940 than is commonly thought.
Extended biographies and bibliographical information are available
from the companion website for the book:
http://www.ams.org/bookpages/hmath-34.
The material will be of interest to researchers, teachers, and
students in mathematics, history of mathematics, history of science,
women's studies, and sociology. The data presented about each of the
228 individual members of the group will support additional study and
analysis by scholars in a large number of disciplines.
Readership
Undergraduates, graduate students, and research mathematicians
interested in the history of mathematics; women and
mathematics.
