Transcription Audio

Hello and welcome to today's episode. I'm thrilled to dive into a topic that's been both eye-opening and profound for me: uncovering biases in women's historical contributions. It's a journey that started quite unexpectedly, and it has completely reshaped my understanding of history. A few months back, I got a call that I couldn't ignore. It was an invitation to join a project focused on unearthing the contributions of women throughout history. Now, I’ve always been up for a challenge, but this was something else. The project was struggling, and I couldn't figure out why. The mission was clear and noble: to highlight women's achievements across the ages. Yet, our initial finds were disappointingly sparse. It felt like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands, and each day left me with a sinking feeling that we were missing something crucial. Then it hit me: biases. They were pervasive and insidious, woven into the very fabric of historical records. You might think that these documents, though imperfect, offer a decent starting point. But they were more like distorted mirrors, reflecting only fragments of the truth. Women's achievements were often minimized, misattributed, or simply ignored altogether. Recent studies in 2024 and 2025 have continued to highlight these imbalances, showing that women's contributions are frequently underrepresented in historical narratives and textbooks. This not only skews our understanding of the past but also hinders young women from finding role models. The deeper I dug, the more I saw how these biases weren't just in the records themselves but in how we approached our research. It was frustrating but also enlightening to experience firsthand. There were plenty of dead ends, moments when I felt I was getting nowhere. But what I learned was that the real obstacles weren't just about missing information; they were about actively misleading information. For instance, while investigating a scientific breakthrough, I found it attributed solely to a male scientist. Yet, something in the timeline didn't add up. I spent days sifting through correspondences, personal diaries, and obscure sources. Eventually, I pieced together that a woman was not just instrumental but arguably the driving force behind that discovery. Her contributions, however, had been completely overshadowed by her male colleague's fame. This kind of erasure, where women are either presented in traditional roles or their achievements downplayed, is a recurring theme in historical analysis. And it's not just one isolated incident; it's a pattern. There are countless stories like this, buried under systemic bias. It’s overwhelming and sometimes disheartening, but it’s important work. So, how did we turn things around? We changed our approach. Instead of relying solely on traditional, often male-centric records, we broadened our scope. Oral histories, personal letters, even art and literature from those eras — they became our goldmines. For example, a series of intimate letters between two women revealed their significant yet unrecorded contributions to a major social movement. These letters were never meant to be public, yet they told a story official records omitted. It was like discovering a secret door where there seemed to be a solid wall, revealing a vibrant, active world intentionally hidden. Navigating this messy terrain was challenging. There were conflicting accounts and sometimes we'd follow leads that went nowhere. Yet, each discovery felt like a small victory, a tiny tear in the fabric of historical invisibility. Through this process, we learned so much. One of the biggest lessons was understanding just how much history is shaped by those who write it, often those with the power to preserve it. It's vital to question, dig deeper, and seek out counter-narratives. If I could go back, I'd start with a broader perspective from day one. The biases we faced were deeply ingrained, a legacy of patriarchal viewpoints. But by looking beyond conventional sources and embracing diverse methodologies and collaborative efforts, we uncovered hidden narratives that a singular viewpoint might have missed. It's an ongoing process, peeling back layers continuously. Looking forward, there's so much more to uncover. We barely scratched the surface, but now we know what we're up against. Recognizing the systemic nature of historical erasure is a major part of the battle. These women, and countless others, deserve to be remembered. Their stories deserve to be told fully, authentically, and without bias. Thank you for joining me on this journey today. As we move forward, let's continue to question, explore, and expand our understanding of history in a way that's inclusive and truthful. Until next time, keep digging deeper, and let's uncover the stories that need to be told.