Disclaimer: This is not meant to be an article disparaging the contributions made by womankind in different spheres of life, but a mere reflection on why the art of inventing eluded them.
The fact that very few notable inventions could be credited to a woman caught my attention when I read a Facebook status prodding readers to think of a woman inventor, given 10 seconds. "That should be easy", I thought, banking on the time I spent mugging the list of famous inventors during early school days. The closest to a feminine name I could think of was Elisha Otis. I had my doubts, and Google confirmed that was a man too.
The stark reality puzzled me no end. Inspite of the conservative view most cultures had on women education, we have been witness to some remarkable discoveries made by women; discoveries, that have revolutionized science. Madame Curie, Lady Ada Lovelace, Jane Goodall, and numerous others (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_science) - proving, categorically, that intellect and the capacity to innovate, were never a problem.
On looking for similar data on women inventors, the few notable discoveries I encountered were Kevlar, medical syringe, windshield wiper (http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0906931.html). That also led me to wonder why, unlike in many other spheres of activity, women inventors, inspite of being sparse, had never been championed as exceptions in a veritable male bastion.
Aiming to be an inventor is a rather risky career option. Surprisingly then, the male, supposed to be the family's bread winner, took that risky road more often. However, I would concede that I am rather lacking on data on women who took up research and the ones that finally contributed in terms of tangible inventions. Moreover, I could not whip up data on recent research and inventions, which might have a higher percentage of women contributors. Our conventional inventor-invention lists usually talk about the pre-1950 set of inventions.
All said and done, this seems like a fact worth pondering over, and a pointer to career choices ingrained into the female psyche as a part of their socialization in the developing years.
