Lillian Moller Gilbreth (Born: Oakland, California, May 24, 1878- Died: Phoenix, Arizona, January 2, 1972)
Lillian Gilbreth, often referred to as “the mother of modern management”, was one of the first “superwomen” to combine a career with her home life. She was a prolific author, the recipient of many honorary degrees, and the mother of 12. But Gilbreth was not only a mother; she was an engineer and an industrial psychologist. Her work with her husband, Frank, helped create job standardization, incentive wage-plans, and job simplification. Finally, she was among the first to recognize the effects of fatigue and stress on time management.
Famous Firsts:
When she obtained her B.A. in literature in 1900, she was the first woman to speak at a University of California commencement.
In 1910 she and her family moved to Rhode Island, where Gilbreth took her doctorate in psychology at Brown University in 1915.
In 1926, she became the first woman member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
She went to Purdue in 1935 as a professor of management and the first female professor in the engineering school.
In her consulting business, she worked with GE and other firms to improve the design of kitchens and household appliances. She even created new techniques to help disabled women accomplish common household tasks. In the 1940s and 50s, Lillian Gilbreth, designed a model kitchen for the handicapped, developing many of the apparatus and appliances herself. The commonly used trash can with the step-on lever to open the lid is her invention. (2)
In 1966, she won the Hoover Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She died at the age of 92, the recipient of more than a dozen honorary degrees. (1)
Her children wrote the popular books Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes about their experiences growing up in a large family.
Sources Cited:
1. http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/gilbreth.html
2. “WOMEN IN THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY — WOMEN INVENTORS“. Herring, Susan Davis. Presented to the Society of Women Engineers, Huntsville chapter, March 4, 1999, for Women’s History Month.
