Most people struggle to grasp Stephen Hawking’s groundbreaking work on black hole dynamics or gravitational singularity, or the mechanics of how galaxies arise in the universe. I do, anyway. But there’s one thing about the theoretical physicist, who died this week, that everyone understands: He was a genius.

That’s reflected in the many tributes to Hawking’s remarkable life, which ended on Wednesday after a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Hawking was a “rare genius,” according to The Guardian; “a genius who could laugh at himself,” according to The Daily Beast. The Agence France-Presse described Hawking as “a genius who dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the Universe.” Amanda Gefter wrote in The Atlantic: “There’s just something about a guy who speaks in a computer voice that automatically makes him sound like a genius.”

Hawking deserves the title, if we’re judging by the Oxford Dictionary: A genius possesses “exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.” Hawking most certainly fits that definition, which, though quite broad, is overwhelmingly applied to male scientists. As a result, young women tend not to see themselves as geniuses—or being capable of becoming geniuses—and are therefore less motivated to pursue jobs in STEM fields. Many men deemed “geniuses” also tend to be excused for poor, even abusive, social and workplace behavior.

Hawking himself objected to the word “genius,” at least to describe himself. When asked by a college student in 1993 how it felt to be labeled “the smartest person in the world,” Hawking reportedly began typing rapidly. “It is very embarrassing,” he reportedly said. “It is rubbish, just media hype. They just want a hero, and I fill the role model of a disabled genius. At least, I am disabled, but I am no genius.” Hawking was also a self-described feminist, telling British journalist Piers Morgan last year that he was concerned about equal representation in the private sector. “Women are at least the equals of men, or better,” he said.



Hawking would likely appreciate the scientific literature showing how terms like “genius,” coupled with the rise of celebrity scientists (who happen to be mostly male), have harmed women in science.