“Marie created her own rules” (Lassieur 149)
“All these tokens of recognition of genius were showed upon her not because she was a woman, but in spite of this fact.” (Goldsmith 229) |
She was a “young woman one whose knowledge of chemistry and faculty for original research were far above the average.” (Mozans 222) |
“For the first time, people realized that women could make a contribution in a field dominated by men.” (Lassieur 64) |
Marie Curie was not a typical early 1900s woman. She did not follow the typical "housewife" persona most women portrayed. Instead, she became a single mother with two daughters and a Nobel Prize winning science researcher. She had extensive knowledge of chemistry, which helped her in her early career of initially getting hired by a laboratory. She started to change people's views of how women working in the scientific field should be perceived. She
won and was nominated for high profile awards for her discoveries and work even though she was a woman. She was
changing and defying the traditions of woman not winning science awards. Also, she started to introduce the idea of women having powerful scientific positions. She was a true woman of genius.
“Marie was unconcerned or unaware that she belonged to the “weaker sex”” (Goldsmith 49) “When she was rejected or ignored, she redoubled her efforts.” (Lassieur 92) |
“All that I saw or learned was a new delight for me. It was like a whole new world open to me, the world of science which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty.” |
“Women of genius are rare.” –P. Curie (Goldsmith 54)
She did not care that she was portrayed as “weaker” than others in her field; she just wanted to do science and be successful. Because of that, she was able to demolish barriers and obstacles and become one of the most influential female scientists of all time. She was getting an education and learning about science, contrary to what society thought a woman should be doing. She was determined to be successful and to prove to people that she could produce work even though she was not a man. When people tried to refuse her things because of her gender, it did not stop her. It only made her fight harder for what she believed in.
"We don’t realize that science is part of our most precious patrimony… which advances human life and decreases suffering. May the public make the future easier… This cry of Marie Curie still retains its value.”
–Irène Joliot-Curie (Goldsmith 229)
Sources for this tab:
-Goldsmith 49, 54, 229
-Lassieur 64, 92, 149
-Mozans 222
-Goldsmith
-Lassieur
-AP Images
-Goldsmith 49, 54, 229
-Lassieur 64, 92, 149
-Mozans 222
-Goldsmith
-Lassieur
-AP Images