Martha Cornelius-Furlani (1886–1974) and Adelheid Kofler (1889–1985) – The First Female Geoscientists at the University of Vienna From Shadow to Light

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social and political life in the Habsburg monarchy was overwhelmingly male-dominated. Studies in geosciences did not yet follow a fixed curriculum. In 1849, a new government introduced reforms to the organisation for teaching at the University in Vienna. It was that time under the leadership of the Minister for Culture and Education, Graf Leo Thun-Hohenstein (1811-1888), when schools and universities were reorganized. The doctoral degree was established in 1873, and, initially was available only for men. Women were permitted to pursue doctoral studies beginning in 1897. The first female doctorate holders (PhD) in the geosciences were Martha Cornelius-Furlani at the Geological Institute and Adelheid Kofler at the Mineralogical-Petrographic Institute at the University of Vienna. In addition to completing their doctoral theses, they also passed the examinations required for teaching at high schools in subjects of mathematics, natural history and physics. After their marriages, they became close collaborators with their husbands. Martha Cornelius-Furlani accompanied her husband on fieldtrips in the Alps, while Adelheid Kofler conducted microscopic analyses alongside her husband, Ludwig Kofler. Following the deaths of their husbands, both women were able to continue their research independently, thereby moving from the shadows to the light.