2min chapter

Scene on Radio cover image

S3 E3: Skeleton War

Scene on Radio

CHAPTER

The Role of Women in the Guild System and Maria Vinkleman's Contribution to Astronomy

Exploring the role of women in the family economy and the challenges they faced in the Guild System, as well as foreshadowing Maria Vinkleman's story.

00:00
Speaker 3
There was something called the Guild System, which was the economic production system at this time in Europe. And the wife of the Guild Master was such an important part of the family economy that many guilds required that the Master be married. So, I think they fit nicely into that pattern and they were both excellent astronomers.
Speaker 2
But it was Maria who made the couple's first real scientific discovery. She being her found proof in the notebooks of Maria's husband, Gottfried Kirsch.
Speaker 3
The husband writes, While I was asleep, my wife discovered a comet. And I thought, well, isn't that interesting? Women are always doing most of the work, but no, that's not true. The astronomy at the time was a family business, and often the family would divide up the work. The husband would observe one night, the wife would observe another night, and they would then be able to have continuous observations. Discovering a comet is a big deal. Yeah, it is.
Speaker 2
But I assume Maria Vinkleman didn't get credit in her lifetime because the couple's findings would have been published under her husband's name.
Speaker 1
You would be assuming correctly. And imagine, a man taking credit for a woman's work. I'm shocked. Stund. But there's an even more important part of Maria Vinkleman's story, which we'll get to a bit later. And
Speaker 3
I see this as a door slamming shut for women.

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