This blog is a collection of stories about women who all too often are unrecognized. We have forgotten to include them in the history of science. And if we’ve included them at all, we’ve done so with a whisper.

Perhaps the most common response I get to this blog is – “But why do we need to tell these stories?” In other words, aren’t the stories of male scientists enough? Why can’t young men and women look up to the likes of Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein? This is an entirely valid question. And of course, men and women can idolize and emulate the lives of famous male scientists.

The real question is – what is a role model? Does a role model have to look like you or be like you in order to aspire to be like them?

The answer is both yes and no.

There are role models for all different facets of life – parenting role models, relationship role models, etc. But the one that is relevant in this discussion is an organizational or career role model.

Dr. Donald Gibson of Fairfield University in Conneticut has spent his career studying organizational role models and has contributed greatly to the literature. He defines a role model as the following:

“A cognitive construction based on the attributes of people in social roles an individual perceives to be similar to himself or herself to some extent and desires to increase perceived similarity by emulating those attributes.”

So what does that mean?

Here’s what I take from all that – a role model is someone who you believe you share something in common with and so you use that similarity as the driving force to get where they are.

In other words, it’s important to have role models that you can identify with. It’s important for women to look at the scientists that have come before them and see their gender represented.

It’s important to notice that the word “similar” is used, but not defined. So when he says “similar” he could be talking about any range of things – gender, ethnicity, experience, etc. So of course – women can identify with the stories of male scientists and men can identify with the stories of women.

But, we shouldn’t neglect the stories of women. We should tell these stories and let people decide for themselves. When a young girl asks her teachers about the scientists of generations past, she should get to hear about Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn. Kids deserve to know that the history of science was shaped by more than just men.

And perhaps this comes down to a notion that is at the very heart of feminism: telling the story of one group (women) doesn’t invalidate the story of another group (men). By defending the history of female scientists, we are not ignoring or invalidating the stories of male scientists. Rather, we enrich the history of science when we choose to be inclusive.