Book excerpt
‘Complexities: Women in Mathematics’
Coedited by Loyola Associate Professor of Mathematics Anne Leggett McDonald, PhD, and Florida State University’s Bettye Anne Case, PhD, Complexities: Women in Mathematics (Princeton University Press, 2005) won the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Book Award in the mathematics/computer science category. With more than 80 articles about 19th- and 20th-century women mathematicians in academia, government, and the private sector, the book “gives us a significant insight into the experience of women in this historically male-dominated field,” according to Alpha Sigma Nu judges.
Women’s journey from the margins of the world of doctoral-level mathematics to a more central position in this particular universe has been long and difficult. The struggle has led to more satisfying lives, both professional and personal. This chronicle of some women who have chosen to be professional mathematicians is intended to facilitate the journey for our sisters who follow.
Thought-provoking perspectives of special interest to those concerned with gender issues appear in many of the articles, offering encouragement and support to women in different trenches—associates in law firms, medical residents—a whole generation of women finding their paths. More directly, the stories include points of reference and parallels for women in all academic fields, especially in those where the proportions of women researchers are low…
One of our pleasures…has been noting similarities, regardless of the difference in circumstance, among the commentaries of these mathematical women. A vibrant thread links the earliest to the most recent—the passion to do mathematics and to share it with others.