Although male and female students take philosophy undergraduate courses in almost equal numbers, the number of women who pursue a career in philosophy is much lower. The Guardian reported that a recent report by the Equality Challenge Unit found that, among non-Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, philosophy is one of the most male-dominated, with men accounting for 71.2% of the profession.

Studies have found that “the biggest drop in the proportion of women in the philosophy pipeline seems to be from enrolment in an introductory philosophy class to becoming a philosophy major. At Georgia State, for example, women make up about 55 percent of Introduction to Philosophy students but only around 33 percent of philosophy majors.” This may have to do with the fact that “readings on the syllabus were overwhelmingly by men (over 89 percent),” Lombrozo reports.

The Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists is working to change this disparity with a new and unique website, the Encyclopaedia of Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers. This is a joint project of Paderborn University’s Ruth Hagengruber and Cleveland State’s Mary Ellen Waithe.

This site aims to introduce “women philosophers who mostly have been omitted from the philosophical canon despite their historical and philosophical influence.” So far, reports Daily Nous, “there are around 100 entries… with more to be added every few months.”

If you head over to their website (https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/ecc/#hwps), you'll come across an easy to navigate home page where you can choose the option to contribute. You can also check out the editors' introduction page which will give you a clearer idea of what this concept is.

The world of philosophy is ever expanding. Advancement in technology has given us a quicker, broader and complete access to knowledge, changing ways we access information. But what hasn't changed is the fact that ancient philosophies are not widely accessible on the world wide web, especially the ones by women. This is where Encyclopaedia of Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers comes in.

"We gave this challenge to eminent scholars around the globe: in 100-300 words explain a concept as it was developed by a woman philosopher. Append to each essay a short bibliography of the most relevant articles and books in which that philosopher's concept is developed or discussed. Most encyclopaedias are arranged according to philosophers such as aesthetics or logic. Others are arranged by schools of philosophy such as Epicureanism or Zen. Some are arranged by concepts, ideas and theories such as justice, number or rationalism. But none offer a comprehensive list of entries about the ideas women philosophers have developed", write the editors.

The website is regularly updated and developments are in order as I write this. The encyclopaedia is accessible for free online.