Evolution of the Role of Women in the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
The role of women in the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists has evolved during the past 100 years. In the early years of the Society, the role of women was largely limited to assisting men in research and administration. One exceptional woman was Helen Thompson Gaige, a herpetologist at the University of Michigan, who served as Editor-in-Chief of Copeia for most of the period from 1937 to 1950. Women have become more visible and engaged in all aspects of the Society only during the past few decades. Of note, the first woman President, Marvalee Wake, was not elected until 1982, and since then, just five more women, three herpetologists and two ichthyologists, have been elected to that Society leadership position. We offer comments from our own experiences to show how our engagement with the Society has influenced our careers.
Helen Thompson Gaige (1890–1976), herpetologist at the University of Michigan and longtime Editor-in-Chief of Copeia. Portrait by Le Clear photographic studio of Lansing, Michigan, 1913. Photo from the UMMZ archives provided by Gregory Schneider.
Doris Mable Cochran (1898–1968), herpetologist at the National Museum of Natural History, ca. 1930s, at her desk with ground-glass specimen jars from the collection. Photographer unknown. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Image #92-957.
Lynne Parenti on the Corantijn River, Suriname, September 1980 (photo by R. P. Vari).
Lynne Parenti on Coconut Island, Oahu, Hawaii, April 2013 (photo by Zeehan Jaafar).
Marvalee Wake collecting (probably salamanders) in the cloud forest near San Marcos, Guatemala, August 2006 (photo by D. B. Wake).
Marvalee Wake preparing caecilians in San Marcos, Guatemala, August 2006 (photo by D. B. Wake).