Women Deserve Inclusion in Curricula

When students learn about history, the same names often come to mind: George Washington, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon. But what about the women who changed the world? In history curricula, wars, civics, and male figures are commonly discussed. However, history curricula often lack representation for women that had equally important roles. Women are often overlooked and only mentioned briefly despite their contributions.

Women had achievements in civics, science, math, language arts, and more that deserve to be remembered. Groundbreaking achievements were made by women such as Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, and Elizabeth I. Marie Curie was a pioneer in the study of radioactivity, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and Elizabeth I was the Queen of England who ruled for decades.

All three were great examples of women in leadership who made a great impact, but many more women were overlooked and hardly mentioned in history. One example is Rosalind Franklin, whose research was critical to discovering the structure of DNA, yet the credit was only given to two men, Watson and Crick. Watson and Crick used Franklin’s data to propose their structure and were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962. Textbooks today only briefly mention Franklin, and her contribution to this great discovery is hardly recognized or remembered.

It is important for young women today to see representation of women like themselves in history. A clear and accurate depiction of women in history can inspire more young women today to make contributions to society and humanity’s success. The past social norm of only men as leaders is incorrect and should be broken down. Historical curricula should be changed, to reflect the truth that not only men, but women have also changed this world.