Women in science

is a news topic again. A woman has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. I hope that the fact she is sharing it with two men will in no way detract from her achievements.
I don't know much about physics. What little I did learn was so badly taught that I was glad to put the subject to one side. I was taught by someone who admitted, like the chemistry teacher, he was "one chapter ahead" of the class. (This was a rural school where teachers had to teach everything and anything whether they were qualified to teach the subject or not. They did not have tertiary qualifications in the subjects they taught.)
My late friend, E..., had a doctorate in physics. Her thesis was full of words I didn't know. She taught physics. I suspect she was rather good at it. I know she was more interested in getting girls interested in science than going on to do more research in physics herself. She veered off into the philosophy of science and education. Given the state of physics research at the time she would have had to have been outstandingly good to get research money. She wasn't. Her thesis was apparently sound but not exciting. As a woman it would have needed to have been both - and then some. 
It made me wonder then, as it makes me wonder now, what we are missing out on. 
I had reason to do a quick look for someone this morning. Finding a contact for him wasn't difficult and I hope he will respond later today. I hope he can come up with a name for someone else. I also dredged up a couple of names from the past for the same purpose. Yes, they are women. They did well in their fields at a time when women academics were rare.
I remember meeting one of these women when I was about nine or ten. The Senior Cat knew her from around the university. (There was only one university then. It was also much smaller - arts and science people met more often.) She was a paleontologist and more than a little alarming. Perhaps she needed to be to get anywhere. It seems likely when another woman before her, on taking over a position from her male predecessor, was paid half his salary and given a much smaller office - for doing the same work.
Women in science have not been treated well. But...how many male scientists would not be here today if it wasn't for Marie Curie?