Women and Mathematics at the Universities in Prague

Abstract

The chapter is devoted to the largely unknown and mostly forgotten history of female candidates of Ph.D. degree in mathematics at the German University in Prague during its whole existence (1882–1945) and at the Czech University in Prague (1882–1920), respectively, at the Charles University in Prague (1920–1945). In the first part, a short description of the historical background (for instance, woman’s studies at the secondary schools and universities in the Czech lands, the rules and regulations of the process for obtaining the doctoral degrees as well as a statistical overview of all Ph.D. degrees in mathematics awarded at both universities in Prague) is given for a better understanding of the situation and some difficulties with the female doctoral procedures. In the second part, a detailed analysis of the successful doctoral procedures of three women graduated in mathematics at the German University in Prague, and the successful doctoral procedures of eight women (one graduated at the Czech University in Prague and seven graduated at the Charles University in Prague) and one unsuccessful doctoral procedure at the Charles University in Prague is presented with showing their families’ background, their life stories, professional activities, mathematical interests and results and fates of their families and relatives. The text is based on the deep and long time studies of various funds of the Archive of the Charles University in Prague, the Archive of the Czech Technical University in Prague, the National Archive of the Czech Republic (Prague), the Archive of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Prague), the Prague City Archives, the Jewish Museum in Prague and some special local archives which collected the register books of births, marriages and deaths, respectively, on the studies of the proceedings of secondary schools which are deposited in the special collection in the National Library of the Czech Republic (Prague-Hostivař).