Women in philosophy

Women have engaged in philosophy throughout the field's history. Socrates states that he learned the most important truths about Eros and the Beautiful from a female priest and philosopher, Diotima. In the west, academic philosophy was typically the domain of male philosophers, though female philosophers such as Catherine of Alexandria (C. 300 CE) continued to theorize, and write during this time. In the early 1800s, some colleges and universities in the UK and US began admitting women, giving rise to new generations of female academics. As of 2007, the American Philosophical Association has a Committee on the Status of Women which is charged with assessing and reporting on the status of women in the field.