The Historical Importance of Women's Colleges

Women's colleges are crucial to the story of women in physics. Particularly before the Second World War, these institutions nurtured and employed multiple generations of female physicists. At these colleges, women congregated to learn, teach, and work in physics. This talk will discuss the history of women's colleges in the United States and delve into some of the reasons why they deserve greater attention in the history of physics. Some of the topics covered will include how they prepared students for occupations in the physical sciences, how they supported their alumnae in graduate schools domestically and abroad, and how female physicists were able to conduct research at these institutions. The talk will conclude with an analysis of the changes after WWII which greatly altered the culture at these institutions.