The Royal Society Recognises Pioneering Scientists who were the First Female Members

Like many other notable physicists, chemists, and biologists throughout history, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein fulfilled the Royal Society's membership requirements in two crucial ways: they were gifted scientists and men.

The scientific community began admitting women to its fellowships in March 1945. It is now commemorating its 80th anniversary with a year-long series of events to honour its first female fellows, Kathleen Lonsdale and Marjory Stephenson.

Breakthroughs in Gender Equality

In 1928, Stephenson, a biochemistry pioneer, became the first person to isolate an enzyme from bacterial cells thanks to her innovative experimental methodology.

Moreover, by demonstrating the structure of the benzene ring in 1929, physicist Lonsdale shed light on the arrangement of atoms in molecules and was honoured for her “outstanding contributions” to crystallography.

Remarkably, the Royal Society has commissioned two films about two women and their achievements, which will be

launched on its YouTube channel. An exhibit of archival documents about their fellowship election and the media's muted response will be on display at the society's London headquarters in July.

At least two current fellows had to sign a printed certificate that read, “We the undersigned propose and recommend him,” to join the Royal Society in 1945, as the exhibit and films will demonstrate. Twelve men signed Lonsdale's certificate after removing the word “him,” and seventeen signed Stephenson's.

Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, a Royal Society fellow and pioneering astrophysicist, praised the moment as a significant milestone in the fight against sexism in science.

Despite uncertainty about women's suitability for Royal Society membership, Lonsdale and Stephenson had influential supporters who supported their efforts in promoting women's participation in science.

A Historical View of Women in Science

The women in the study had received respect from male Nobel prizewinning colleagues and former Royal Society presidents, such as Sir William Henry Bragg in Lonsdale's case and Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins in Stephenson's, causing other scientists to take notice.

The Royal Society admitted female scientists during WWII due to their significant contributions to science, as they were no longer ignored due to their achievements during the war.

In 1902, the Royal Society failed to nominate physicist Hertha Ayrton due to the legal opinion that masculine terms were frequently used in its charter and the questioning of the legal definition of a person, particularly a married woman like Ayrton. Wives were considered the property of their husbands.

The first equal opportunities legislation in Britain in 1919 allowed for the election of a woman, but it took 26 years. Lonsdale and Stephenson's joining the Royal Society in 1945 may have helped break down other glass ceilings for female scientists.

As the head of the department of crystallography and a professor of chemistry at University College London, Lonsdale became the first female professor in 1949.

Stephenson, a Cambridge alumna and fellow of Newnham College, became the first female president of the Society for General Microbiology in 1947. She was also the first reader of chemical microbiology, and her death in 1948 marked the beginning of female undergraduate degrees.

Ultimately, the Royal Society is planning to host talks and networking events to promote women in science this year while also collecting data to understand and address gender diversity across various science subjects.

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