You might know that Madame Curie is the first female to win a Nobel Prize but you probably don't know her real name, which is Marie Sklodowska. That's why some scholars have suggested using real names, instead of their husband's last names, when referring to great females in textbooks. Some believe it's a great step towards gender equality while others simply think it's overcorrection.


Marie Sklodowska, better known as Madame Curie, was a Polish-born and naturalized French physicist who was the first woman to ever win a Nobel Prize. She was also the first person to ever win a second Nobel Prize. Taiwan's 12-year compulsory education review committee recently passed regulations for the natural science curriculum. Under these regulations, teachers are required to incorporate different ethnic views and gender equality principles into lessons on scientific contributions. The committee raised Curie as an example, saying teachers should use her maiden name of Sklodowska when talking about her.

You know Madame Curie is Marie Curie. That's enough. Do you need to know her maiden name off the top of your head? Knowing her maiden name has nothing to do with gender equality or gender rights. Using gender equality and other concepts that are hot-button topics in Taiwan right now to change the names of Madame Curie and other women is overcorrection.

One scholar says many western women take their husband's last name when they get married and it is overcorrection to intentionally change women's names back to their maiden names. The Ministry of Education, meanwhile, says this is only a recommendation and not necessarily a part of the official course outline.

(The committee member) said women's full names should be used in textbooks and lessons on (scientific) contributions to incorporate different genders, backgrounds and ethnicities. The textbook review committee will decide how to proceed and if notes or parentheses will be added to textbooks.

It remains unknown how women will be referred to in Taiwanese textbooks in the future. As of now, 32 of over 40 outlines have been reviewed and the syllabus for the 2019 academic year will be implemented on schedule at the end of the month.