Inhalt: "The development of women in academies of sciences can be historicized from exclusion
to exception. Most national academies elected their first female members in the 20th
century after the Second World War. Why were women elected so late? The most important
explanations for the long-lasting exclusion of women discussed in this article are
the professionalization and institutionalization of science, the restriction of members,
the exclusion of women from universities, the diminishing power of the aristocracy,
the increasing divergence between the public and the private sphere, male prejudice
against women, fear of losing status, and social closure of male networks. In order
to gather information about the first women elected as members, the number of female
members elected since then, and the actual percentage of female members, a questionnaire
was distributed to all European academies of sciences. Results from 47 academies and
431 female members are presented. Although there is a steady increase in the number
of female members since 1970, the proportion of women is still very low between 1%
and 15%. The article concludes with some suggestions for the improvement of the situation
of women in higher scientific positions." (author's abstract)|