Women's History
Women across the globe have led remarkable lives since the beginning of time, and it is vital we commemorate these lives and legacies year-round. With over 9,000 entries in the Oxford DNB for women alone, it is clear that there is no lack of women in history even if they are too often forgotten.
This year, the theme of Women’s History Month is Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Join us in celebrating the lives of women who burst through glass ceilings in the fields of science, mathematics, and more by clicking on the portraits and names below.
Women in STEM
Anning, Mary (1799–1847), fossil collector and dealer
Askonas, Brigitte Alice [Ita] (1923–2013), immunologist and biochemist
Atkins [née Children], Anna (1799–1871), botanist and photographic artist
Bate, Dorothea Minola Alice (1878–1951), palaeontologist
Cartwright, Dame Mary Lucy (1900–1998), mathematician
Elson, Rebecca Anne Wood (Becky) (1960–1999), astronomer and poet
Fell, Dame Honor Bridget (1900–1986), cell biologist
Franklin, Rosalind Elsie (1920–1958), crystallographer
Freund, Ida (1863–1914), chemist
Herschel, Caroline Lucretia (1750–1848), astronomer
Hodgkin, Dorothy Mary Crowfoot (1910–1994), chemist and crystallographer
Lonsdale [née Yardley], Dame Kathleen (1903–1971), crystallographer and pacifist
McLaren, Dame Anne Laura Dorinthea (1927–2007), geneticist
McPherson [née Egelnick], Ann (1945–2011), general practitioner and health campaigner
Meitner, Lise (1878–1968), physicist
Parsons, Rachel Mary (1885–1956), engineer, women’s rights campaigner, and racehorse owner
Pratt [married name Pearless], Anne (1806–1893), botanist
Scott, Charlotte Angas (1858–1931), mathematician
Shilling [married name Naylor], Beatrice (1909–1990), mechanical and aeronautical engineer
Smith, Annie Lorrain (1854–1937), mycologist and lichenologist
