1. Introduction
“It was due to the camouflage intentionally placed over their presence in science” — Margaret Rossiter.
How to cite this source?
Remedial Herstory Project Editors. "1. INTRODUCTION." The Remedial Herstory Project. November 1, 2025. www.remedialherstory.com.
Beth Collier, “What is The Matilda Effect,” Substack, March 14 2025.
https://bethcollier.substack.com/p/what-is-the-matilda-effect-e4f
Lisa Lamm, “The Matilda Effect: How Women are Becoming Invisible in Science,” Lost Women of Science, October 26, 2022. https://www.lostwomenofscience.org/news-events/the-matilda-effect-how-women-are-becoming-invisi ble-in-science
History in Science
History and historically charged narratives are present in all school subjects, even topics that are outside of a typical middle school or high school social studies class. Particularly in the STEM fields—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—history and women’s history tend to be a long-forgotten topic. The typical social studies course has long excluded women, their stories, and their achievements. While advancements have been made by The Remedial HerStory Project and other like-minded organizations hoping to expand women's stories in the classroom, we still see a serious lapse in the historical coverage women receive in all subjects.
When history is taught in schools, there tends to be an unfortunate bias towards men, their stories, and their achievements. These one-pagers have been designed by the Remedial HerStory Project to incorporate more women’s history into STEM classes, opening students' minds up to a multitude of accomplished women. The women mentioned vary from different disciplines and topics, ranging from Earth Science to Psychology to Computer Science. The Remedial HerStory Project hopes to not only expand the knowledge of women's contributions to STEM but also inspire young girls in these male-dominated fields. For STEM educators who hope to incorporate women into their lessons, these one-pagers act as a precursor to the lesson they hope to teach while simultaneously teaching students about women hidden by their male colleagues.
Without mentioning the countless women who contributed to their respective fields, teachers reinforce the idea that men’s work matters more than that of their female colleagues. The inherent act of ignoring those women who worked just as hard, and many times even harder, is in itself a disservice to the women in STEM and young girls hoping to someday work in the field. Including women’s history in STEM lessons not only provides the necessary understanding of scientific theory or important figures, but also allows young girls who might want to venture into these male-dominated fields feel represented in their studies. For students of all ages and genders, providing a full history of scientific theories and other STEM-related topics greatly improves the connection and understanding of the topic.
Join the Club
Join our email list and help us make herstory!
The Matilda Effect
The fight for women’s contributions to be valued and recognized the same as their male counterparts is present in almost every discipline. While this issue is beginning to change through the work of determined educators and leaders, one of the most male-dominated fields—STEM—continues to focus largely on men. In STEM fields, women are constantly pushed to the side, and their contributions are ignored. This phenomenon, called “The Matilda Effect,” was coined by Margaret Rossiter in 1993. Rossiter was a science historian born in 1944. She developed an interest in science while a student in High School. She went on to continue studying science, becoming one of the few women in her University and one of the few studying the history of science at Yale University. As part of a prestigious group, Rossiter would gather with fellow students and professors, engaging in academic conversations. One night, she asked if there were any women scientists, and she received a unanimous answer of “no.”1 After this shocking comment, Rossiter began to research women scientists. Contrary to the belief of her professors and fellow male students, she found a multitude of women scientists. Rossiter composed all of these stories she came across and wrote a book in 1982 titled Women Scientists in America: Struggles and Strategies to 1940. She continued to write books on women in STEM fields, shedding light on the forgotten women of the past. Rossiter named the phenomenon after the American suffragette, Matilda Joslyn Gage. In 1870, Gage wrote a pamphlet entitled, Woman as Inventor, where she refuted the idea that women lacked talent in scientific realms. While doing her research at Yale, Rossiter came across Woman as Inventor, and wrote an article titled The Matilda Effect in Science in 1993.2
“The Matilda Effect” may seem like something of the past, but this phenomenon is still something every woman in the STEM field experiences. Whether they are passed over for a promotion or credit is given to a male colleague, “The Matilda Effect” is intertwined in science. For educators who continue to teach students, the same male-dominated history they were taught continues and perpetuates “the Matilda effect.” Without showcasing women in STEM, it reinforces the traditional gender norms of men and women. These norms tend to place women in more “empathetic” roles, like
jobs in the humanities and domestic roles.
Our Goal
The RemedialHerStory project hopes that through these one-pagers, educators can diminish “the Matilda Effect.” Each one-pager utilized in class sheds light on a woman who was long forgotten by the STEM world—even though their achievements made large impacts on their field. Educators can use our one-pagers to incorporate women’s history into their curriculum and hopefully inspire the younger generations to encourage them to learn, appreciate, and celebrate women’s history.
