Astronomy seems to be a field where women make outstanding contributions. Why is this so?

Question

I intend no chauvinism when I say that I have found that the hard science that seems to attract great female minds, and where women gain world class notoriety for their (many) accomplishments, is astronomy. Certainly there are many women involved in all the other sciences, most notably the life sciences, and least notably in certain engineering fields, but there must be something about astronomy that seems to attract and showcase great female scientists. These women tend not to be your average Jo, or Jill astronomer, instead they are some of the top contributors in the field. Is this my 'chauvinistic' illusion ? Or, have you noticed this also? If true, then why is this so?

Answer 1

Interesting.  Women have also made disproportionate contributions in crystallography (Dorothy Hodgkin, Nobel prize for structure of Vitamin B12, also did structure of insulin; Rosalind Franklin and DNA among other achievements; Kathleen Lonsdale, crystal structure of benzene etc, first woman Fellow of the Royal Society)

Don't know why.

Answer 2

The fundamental point is that women make outstanding contributions to science in all fields.  Examples:  Marie Curie, Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry; Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Prize in medicine, and others.  Please check the website below for a more complete list of women who have won Nobel Prizes in sciences.