Tower will salute 72 female scholars to attain gender balance

The city of Paris is set to honor women's historical contributions to science and technology by inscribing the names of 72 illustrious women on the base of the iconic Eiffel Tower. This ambitious project, proposed by an expert commission, aims to remedy the "Matilda effect" – a term coined by American historian Margaret Rossiter to describe the systematic suppression of women's contributions to scientific progress.

The commission, chaired by astrophysicist Isabelle Vauglin, vice-president of the Femmes & Sciences association, has been working diligently to select these distinguished female experts. The commission also includes Jean-Francois Martins, the head of the Eiffel Tower's operating company.

The proposed list, presented to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on September 5, 2025, includes women who lived between 1789 and the present day, are now deceased, and are mainly of French nationality. The commission's goal is to highlight the historical contribution of women to science and technology, a mission that mirrors Gustave Eiffel's original intention when he had the names of 72 scholars inscribed on the base of the tower in golden letters in 1889. However, all those scholars were men.

The commission has yet to reveal when the names of the 72 women will be added to the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, it is a significant step towards righting a historic wrong, more than 130 years after the tower's construction. By the end of the year, a list of women's names will be proposed to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo for inscription on the Eiffel Tower.

U.S. rights activist Matilda Joslyn Gage is associated with the "Matilda effect." Her work serves as a poignant reminder of the need to acknowledge and celebrate women's contributions to scientific progress. The commission's project on the Eiffel Tower is a step towards ensuring that these contributions are not overlooked anymore.

As the world watches, Paris prepares to immortalise the names of these 72 women, symbolising the city's commitment to equality and recognition of women's historical achievements in science and technology.