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How women scientists appear in books shows how their place in society has changed. For a long time, they were missing or only had small roles. Now they are slowly taking center stage in stories.

For hundreds of years, female science characters were rare in fiction. When they did appear, they were often just helpers to male scientists. This copied the unfair beliefs of that time. Modern books show a big change. Novels like The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa or Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly celebrate smart women in science. Story-based biographies of Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin or Ada Lovelace make their important work popular.

Hidden Figures film

This change in books goes along with finally recognizing real women scientists. Fiction becomes a way to make them visible. It breaks down unfair beliefs and inspires young people. It shows that the history of science is also a women's history, long erased but now being told.