Nancy Atkinson, bacteriologist, winemaker and writer

In the last decades of the twentieth century, biographies of Australian women scientists, and articles and book chapters focusing on women's contributions to science during and after World War II began to emerge. Such works seek to acknowledge and highlight the achievements of women in both industry and academia, and to understand how they managed to pursue and negotiate careers in traditionally male-dominated fields. In the first half of last century, women were well represented, both as students and as staff members at many universities in Australia but, while men climbed the career ladder, the majority of women were 'more or less limited to the bottom rungs'.