Unrecognized Life Trajectory of Female Physicists Over Time

In the world of quantum information science, one professor's journey is a testament to the challenges faced by women in the field. Shohini Ghose, author of "Her Space, Her Time," found herself at a crossroads, forced to choose between her burgeoning career and her family due to the lingering effects of a long-standing policy known as the marriage bar.

Ghose's partner, like many other women in physics, was also a victim of this discriminatory practice. Her research in quantum information science progressed rapidly, yet she was compelled to leave physics due to the marriage bar.

This unfortunate trend is not unique to Shohini Ghose. Harriet Brooks, Canada's first woman nuclear physicist, made significant contributions to radioactive transmutation and decay, including the discovery of the element radon. However, her achievements are often overshadowed by those of her male counterparts. Brooks' discovery of radon was credited to Friedrich Dorn, while she and Rutherford first identified it as a new gas. After announcing her engagement, Brooks was forced to abandon her faculty position at Barnard College.

The marriage bar policy swept through the ranks of women scientists, removing every trace of them from the scientific record. Other trailblazers like Ruby Payne Scott, a pioneer in radio astronomy, and Muriel Barker, a Cambridge graduate in aeronautics, were also affected. Barker was prevented from working due to the "marriage bar" in 1922.

The story of these women serves as a stark reminder of the human biases that have long plagued the field of physics. Lucy Mensing, another physics prodigy, ended her career in 1930 after the birth of her first son. The "two-body problem" in academia, where couples face challenges in finding suitable positions at the same institution, also contributed to the loss of many talented women scientists.

Despite these challenges, love and physics continued to coexist in Ghose's life. Her romance was filled with debates about quantum physics, and the wedding invitations were adorned with quotes from physicists and bad physics jokes. The speaker's thesis supervisors asked what gift they would like to mark the occasion, a gesture that spoke volumes about the support and camaraderie within the physics community.

Their joyous and nerdy affair was a celebration not just of their love, but also of their shared passion for physics. Today, as we reflect on the stories of these remarkable women, we are reminded of the need for change and the importance of recognising and addressing the biases that have held back so many talented individuals.