Executive Summary
This document provides guidance on how to accurately and fully describe the women who did astronomical research at the Harvard College Observatory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We recommend language that accounts for the diversity of their experiences and contributions, and also addresses the way language reflects historical gender bias at HCO and within the field of astronomy. Current terminology, including “Harvard Computers,” lacks specificity and does not acknowledge the complexities of how these workers self-identified.
We recommend the term Women Astronomical Computers to describe the cohort of women astronomy workers. When writing about individuals, we recommend deferring to a woman’s self-identified title whenever possible.
To learn more about our recommendations and methods, use the links below to navigate the sections of this resource:
• Introduction
• Recommended Terminology
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Supplement: Research Methodology
“To be really efficient a computer must understand algebra, geometry, trigonometry, the principles of astronomy, and the instruments.” - Imogen Willis Eddy, one of the Women Astronomical Computers, in the March 15, 1896 edition of the Omaha Daily Bee
Introduction
The Women Astronomical Computers conducted astronomy research at the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) beginning in 1875. Through major discoveries, the creation of vital reference catalogs, the setting of foundational best practices in the field, and careful stewardship of Harvard’s one-of-a-kind Astronomical Glass Plate Collection, the impact and legacy of this group of women cannot be overstated.
The careers and lives of the Women Astronomical Computers have captured the attention of astronomers, historians, artists, authors, musicians, and students, who continue to tell their stories. They have employed various terminology, historical and contemporary, formal and informal, to describe the work of the Women Astronomical Computers.The women themselves took some of the terminology to heart and used it to describe their work; other terms they never accepted. Some titles unfortunately may not have reflected a researcher’s training, expertise, or work, but rather their status within the hierarchy of the Observatory.
On this page we offer language for storytellers that more fully and accurately encompasses the work of the Women Astronomical Computers. We recommend language that accounts for the diversity of their experiences and contributions, and also addresses the way language reflects historical gender bias at HCO and within the field of astronomy.
The recommendations are the result of sustained and thoughtful dialogue between stakeholders at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, including the stewards of the records, artifacts, and historic spaces associated with the Women Astronomical Computers. This group of interdisciplinary professionals arrived at their recommendations by the following means:
1. Conducting original historical research using HCO archives, vital records, historical newspapers, and oral history interviews to uncover what terminology was used by the women and their contemporaries.
2. Applying research on gender bias in science to the historical terminology used at HCO.
3. Identifying more accurate and bias-aware professional titles based on diverse work and achievements.
Recommended Terminology
Terminology is context-dependent. Below are separate recommendations for writing about groups of researchers and individual researchers.
Image: Two flow charts side by side. The left one begins at the top with a box titled "As a Group", a short line connects it down to a box with the text, "For the first use: "Women Astronomical Computers". A line connects it to the lowest box in this chart, with the text "For second and beyond uses, please use "Women", "Astronomers", "Astronomy workers", or "computers". The right-side flow chart starts at the top with a box with the text, "Individual". A line connects it down to a box with the text, "Do they have a self-identified title available? Consult their individual bios to see!". A line connects this box down to the next which contains the text, "If a self-identified title is available, please use that". A line connects this box to the lowest in this chart. The final box contains the text, "If no self-identified title is included, please use the singular, "Woman Astronomical Computer".
As a group, please refer to the researchers as Women Astronomical Computers.
Why “Women”?
Some people might argue that the word “women” is an unnecessary qualifier that suggests they are not the “default” astronomy workers. However, within a historical context, the fact that they were women is important. They were doing work that was itself groundbreaking, while also breaking new ground for women in scientific professions. Letters, journals, and other primary sources written by the women themselves indicate that their gender identity was important to their experience. They took pride in being a part of this cohort of accomplished women.
We know from the writings of Observatory leadership that women were specifically hired for this work because people believed they possessed particular skill and patience for detailed work, and because they could be paid less than men. This was a cost-saving employment decision made possible by an economy where women with astronomical and mathematical training or ability had limited professional opportunities. Without acknowledging gender, we fail to recognize the full context and weight of their employment and achievements.
Why “Astronomical”?
The Women Astronomical Computers had specialized, astronomy-specific knowledge and skills, and it is important to recognize them as individuals with unique, valuable expertise in a particular field. ‘Astronomical’ also distinguishes these women from “human computers” working in other fields in the early to mid-20th century, including mathematics, maritime navigation, aircraft and rocket design, weapons research during WWII, and more.1
Why “Computers”?
Many of the women, especially before 1920, either self-identified or were described professionally as a ‘computer’. This professional title was used across the sciences before it was adopted at HCO. The role of a computer within the HCO was to perform mathematical calculations and precise measurements. The word ‘computer’ specifies what type of work the women were doing in the context of their time period.
Writing About Individual Women Astronomical Computers
These are recommendations for referring to the group as a whole. What unites them as the Women Astronomical Computers is that all of them made contributions to the field of astronomy, all worked at or with the Harvard College Observatory, and all did so as women in time periods when women were very rarely represented or appreciated within scientific fields.
However, when discussing each individual woman, it is important to note that this group includes women who worked in different roles and in different time periods. The titles given to women at the HCO changed significantly over time; for instance, until the 1900s, the women were exclusively referred to as computers or assistants, and starting in the 1910s and 1920s some of them were referred to as astronomers, in addition to other titles. Some of these women did their own original scientific research, and some of them did calculations supporting the research of others. Some did far more valuable work than they were credited for at the time, and others gained significant accolades for their work. Their experiences were not homogenous.
When discussing individual members of the Women Astronomical Computers, we recommend deferring to a woman’s self-identified title whenever possible. Sometimes these titles are a matter of historical record, surfaced through Observatory or vital records and the women’s own writings. However, the historical record is incomplete and inconsistent, and some information has been lost to time. On the ‘Women At The Harvard College Observatory’ page on the Wolbach Library Glass Plates site, 40 women and counting have short biographies researched by curatorial assistants working with the history of the Glass Plate Collection. These are good sources to find a particular woman’s preferred title. If a biography is still yet to come, please use your best judgment, or the singular form of the term we have provided (i.e. “Woman Astronomical Computer”).
