"We sometimes ask our students at The American University to list twenty famous women from American history. There are only a few restrictions. They cannot include figures from sports or entertainment. Presidents' wives are not allowed unless they are clearly famous in their own right. Most students cannot do it. The seeds of ignorance were sown in their earliest years of schooling." - Failing at Fairness by Myra & David Sadker

My friend Ashlie used to refuse to read novels written by men. She told me that her high school and college education was male-dominated and she had decided that she needed to compensate by reading many of the women authors that get neglected within our schools.

I can't say she doesn't have a point.

Today, I can name many fantastic authors, but if I look back upon my formal education, with the possible exception of the Bronte sisters and Jane Austin, I don't believe we studied any women writers. Female scientists? Marie Curie. That's the extent of the list I was ever taught. Can't even think of one female mathematician or physician. Historical figures? Short of presidents' wives, I got none. Well, there's Anne Frank, but I'm not sure what category she falls under.

Quite pathetic if you ask me.

I was never explicitly told that just because I am female, I'm not supposed to be good at a certain field. In elementary school, I rocked in math and the teacher never made me feel like that was a bad thing. For middle and high school, I attended an all-girls school so obviously there was no male-female competition there. But I have consistently been interested in the male-dominated fields and I have never felt intimidated by the men around me. So I always thought that maybe I grew up without gender discrimination.

The fact is, gender discrimination is there all the time. I didn't avoid it. Most people aren't even aware that they are biased. I, for the most part, haven't internalized it. ( Though, I did internalize a whole lot of other things.) Just because it didn't destroy my life, or at least not in the ways I'm aware of, doesn't mean the bias isn't out there. Doesn't mean it isn't important. And it surely doesn't mean that it doesn't affect many others.

Can you name twenty women from American history?

Previously? Good Mate.