Sophie Germain And The Struggles Of Women Mathematicians During The French Revolution

In this thesis, I analyze the social conditions of women during a time that they were not encouraged to become educated. Throughout the period of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment, women struggled to penetrate into scientific fields as they were denied access to a formal education. I specifically study the case of Sophie Germain and the perseverance that she exuded while acquiring a completely informal education. In conjunction with other scientists, Germain became one of the first known females of her time to make significant mathematical strides. She produced great work on elasticity and Fermat's Last Theorem. She is most famous for The Sophie Germain Theorem, which was derived from her ideas to prove Fermat's Last Theorem in its entirety. Sophie Germain, an early, innovative intellectual has left a lasting legacy in mathematics and has served as an inspiration for females who value education and desire to integrate into previously male dominated fields.