Достъпът на жените до българската университетска наука (1918-1944)
The Women’s Access to the Bulgarian University Science (1918-1944)

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on a relatively unstudied subject of the admittance of Bulgarian women to the university science after World War I. The author retraces how the “fair sex” was introduced into university institution according to authentic archive sources. Further more, it shows the efforts of women to change the current horizontal and vertical hierarchy segregating them. The stress falls on the women’s access as scientific workers and lecturers in sciences considered to be inappropriate and high up in the hierarchy such as: Physics, Biology, Medicine, Jurisprudence, History and faculties such as Physics-Mathematics, Medical faculty, Jurisprudence, Historical-Philological. The attempts women made to attain academic range are reviewed. The analyses show the hindrances women faced accessing university sciences, not only in Bulgaria, but throughout Europe and the rest of the world at that time. Against them are the sexistic regulations, colleagues of high rank and negative attitude, strong stereotypes and public animus and all these obstruct the overall and equal in rights women’s participation in science. Their efforts were supported only by their families and occasionally by few broadminded male colleagues and seldom by feminist organizations. Therefore, they occur to be both “insiders” – accepted in university society, favoured and presumed to be well prepared; and “outsiders” – considered “alien”, with no chances of success, lacking special qualities, skills and knowledge, therefore inappropriate.

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