Borba za osvojeno: istraživačice u prirodnim naukama
The Struggle for the Achieved: Women Researchers in the Natural Sciences

Author(s): Dragana Popović
Subject(s): Gender Studies
Published by: Етнографски институт САНУ
Keywords: natural sciences; women scientists; gender; physics; positions of power.
Summary/Abstract: The four-thousand-year long history of (natural) sciences includes the names of numerous women – innovators and researchers, but until the early 20th century they are mostly mentioned and remembered as the companions of fathers, brothers or husbands on their scientifi journey. In this region, where the only, sadly short, history of science is insufficiently and fragmentedly researched, the issues of the contributions and position of women in science, and the position of science in society from the aspect of gender have only been opened up to discussion over the last three decades. One reason for this, apart from the lack of available data, is the complexity of this issue, which, aside from the gender and class aspect, includes a review of the value of science in society, which has undergone dramatic changes during the 20th and early 21st centuries. An aggravating circumstance is certainly the lack of interest and “closedness” of scientific circles, especially in the so-called hard disciplines, such as physics. A statistical approach oft en gives the wrong picture, as the percentage representation of women in certain disciplines does not necessarily mean they are present in prestigious areas of research, in positions of power and decision-making, in the highest scientific institutions, in the lists of the most important scientific awards. New questions are being raised today, primarily whether, in the new system which evaluates knowledge as a commodity, the position of women in science has deteriorated, both globally and in this region. Or perhaps this new system has opened new doors?

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