Marija Panova, Grade 11
UWC Mostar
“The patriarchy and everything it stands for, and excuse me for the crude language, sucks”. While there is definitely a more eloquent manner to express the same sentiment, when brought down to its core, the repugnant system made for the systemic oppression of women does, in fact, suck. From the denial and degradation of women’s needs and rights within this world, it is an issue deeply embedded within Western society, poisoning humanity from within. For centuries, women have been viewed as objects, pretty and quiet dolls, gentle creatures akin to harmless bunnies or lambs, obedience and an eagerness to please viciously beaten into them until nothing but a shallow, ‘pleasant’ husk remains–an ornament for the men of society to enjoy. After the granting of women’s right to vote and the beginning of female integration within the workforce, society appears to have taken a turn for the better, slowly levelling the field between the sexes. However, despite the years of highly fruitful progress passing by with women steadily being integrated within the workforce, the situation concerning the oppression and prejudice against women would not let up so easily. Such can be seen with the case of Rosalind Franklin, the British scientist who discovered the structure of DNA, revolutionizing the field for eternity and cementing her spot as one of the most inspiring women and scientists in history.
As a woman interested in the natural sciences, Rosalind seemed to have the odds stacked against her from the very beginning. Born in 1920 in London, she had always shown an affinity for natural science. Fortunately, her parents allowed her to study and follow her passions, letting her reach for the stars and chase after her passion; pursuing a career path that seemed next to impossible for women at the time. However, she excelled. She earned a PhD in Chemistry at Cambridge University, and immediately went into the field, contributing greatly in the study of coal, providing the British army with a more suitable gas mask for World War II. Her passion eventually led her to work as a research associate at King’s College London. Franklin, the rather serious woman, immediately got to work, renewing the laboratories and beginning her research on the most burning topic of the time – DNA. Due to her outwardly stoic and career-oriented nature, the climate in the workplace was not leading in her favor. Her colleagues did not have the highest impression of her, most notable of which was Maurice Wilkins, a lab maid who, upon first meeting Franklin, dismissively assumed her to be his assistant. This event is considered as being the inception of the ongoing feud that would last until Franklin’s relocation to Birkbeck College years later. Despite Wilkins’ crude treatment of her, Franklin remained focused on her task, and it would soon pay off. While at King’s College, Franklin would obtain Photo 51–the first and most famous photo of the DNA double helix. Unfortunately, not everyone holds themselves at similar standards of integrity. Maurice Wilkins, spurred on by his disdain for Franklin, took the photograph without her knowledge and consent, and showed it to two scientists researching the same topic, Watson and Crick–leading to the three of them winning the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the double helix, leaving Franklin’s calculations as a supporting piece to theirs.
The reason I admire Rosalind Franklin as much as I do is due to her perseverance in the face of adversity. She stepped into a misogynistic and exceedingly difficult career as a woman, getting degraded and betrayed to the highest level by her own colleagues and contemporaries, yet still held her head up high, continuing her work in other scientific fields, leading to her work on virology which would end up earning another colleague of hers a Nobel Prize. The reason she, herself, never received either Nobel Prize, despite her biographers gathering information on and confirming her involvement in both discoveries, was due to her tragic early passing due to cancer, cutting short the life of one of the most influential women in history without ever officially acknowledging her contributions to the scientific community; at least not until years after her passing. Unfortunately, her story is not an isolated incident. Throughout history, countless women have been silenced and have had their work taken and passed off as that of a man, degraded and ignored by their fellow male colleagues. While in recent years, the treatment of women has improved drastically, it is still far away from being equal to that of men with the workforce. Women still get discriminated against within the workplace, being assumed to be lesser than the men in their profession. However, fortunately, change is upon us, for the inclusion of women within the workforce is proving itself highly beneficial for society in its entirety, displaying how through optimizing the workforce, making it a place of absolute equality between men and women, humanity could reach new heights, altering the course of history forever. Her story inspired me to reach for the impossible and chase after my dreams, never letting anyone discourage or degrade me.
As a woman interested in the natural sciences, Rosalind seemed to have the odds stacked against her from the very beginning. Born in 1920 in London, she had always shown an affinity for natural science. Fortunately, her parents allowed her to study and follow her passions, letting her reach for the stars and chase after her passion; pursuing a career path that seemed next to impossible for women at the time. However, she excelled. She earned a PhD in Chemistry at Cambridge University, and immediately went into the field, contributing greatly in the study of coal, providing the British army with a more suitable gas mask for World War II. Her passion eventually led her to work as a research associate at King’s College London. Franklin, the rather serious woman, immediately got to work, renewing the laboratories and beginning her research on the most burning topic of the time – DNA. Due to her outwardly stoic and career-oriented nature, the climate in the workplace was not leading in her favor. Her colleagues did not have the highest impression of her, most notable of which was Maurice Wilkins, a lab maid who, upon first meeting Franklin, dismissively assumed her to be his assistant. This event is considered as being the inception of the ongoing feud that would last until Franklin’s relocation to Birkbeck College years later. Despite Wilkins’ crude treatment of her, Franklin remained focused on her task, and it would soon pay off. While at King’s College, Franklin would obtain Photo 51–the first and most famous photo of the DNA double helix. Unfortunately, not everyone holds themselves at similar standards of integrity. Maurice Wilkins, spurred on by his disdain for Franklin, took the photograph without her knowledge and consent, and showed it to two scientists researching the same topic, Watson and Crick–leading to the three of them winning the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the double helix, leaving Franklin’s calculations as a supporting piece to theirs.
The reason I admire Rosalind Franklin as much as I do is due to her perseverance in the face of adversity. She stepped into a misogynistic and exceedingly difficult career as a woman, getting degraded and betrayed to the highest level by her own colleagues and contemporaries, yet still held her head up high, continuing her work in other scientific fields, leading to her work on virology which would end up earning another colleague of hers a Nobel Prize. The reason she, herself, never received either Nobel Prize, despite her biographers gathering information on and confirming her involvement in both discoveries, was due to her tragic early passing due to cancer, cutting short the life of one of the most influential women in history without ever officially acknowledging her contributions to the scientific community; at least not until years after her passing. Unfortunately, her story is not an isolated incident. Throughout history, countless women have been silenced and have had their work taken and passed off as that of a man, degraded and ignored by their fellow male colleagues. While in recent years, the treatment of women has improved drastically, it is still far away from being equal to that of men with the workforce. Women still get discriminated against within the workplace, being assumed to be lesser than the men in their profession. However, fortunately, change is upon us, for the inclusion of women within the workforce is proving itself highly beneficial for society in its entirety, displaying how through optimizing the workforce, making it a place of absolute equality between men and women, humanity could reach new heights, altering the course of history forever. Her story inspired me to reach for the impossible and chase after my dreams, never letting anyone discourage or degrade me.
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