Intro into The Enlightenment

             The Enlightenment brought forth ideas of reason and wisdom within philosophers and scientists all over. Many enlightenment thinkers had a history or background within the science field. Most were men, but a few women influenced thinking during this era. During the Enlightenment, women were held back in education, science and math. Those who were more motivated than the rest had individual tutors or open minded fathers who were willing to do more for their daughters than the rest of the population. Women were thought to be the people who stay at home and care for the home and children. That was accepted during this time. Women taking on the roles of men was not. Men often "ridiculed scientifically minded women" and saying that they were "neglectful of their domestic role". Two women who made an impact during the Enlightenment were Laura Bassi and Yekaterina Dashkova. Bassi was an Italian physicist and Dashkova became the director of the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences. These two women were among the first to be able to defy expectations and rise to meet the challenges of facing a majority of professions for men.