Martha Whiteley
“There is a long-established and inveterate prejudice… that girls are less capable of mental cultivation, and less in need of it, than boys” reported the 1868 Schools Inquiry Commission.
Analyst, and the historic J. Chem. Soc., Trans. contributor Martha Whiteley did much to reverse this prejudice, for which she has been nominated as an “175 Face of Chemistry”.
This Friday, why not take some time out to explore our journal archives, discover her research, and read about her campaigning for women fellows’ admission to the Royal Society – and the problems along the way (why should men be preferred simply because ‘they wear a distinctive dress and are privileged to grow a moustache?’ – Nature editor, 1909).
