Celebrating 100 Years of Female Fellowship of the Geological Society: Discovering Forgotten Histories
CONTAINS OPEN ACCESS

The Geological Society of London was founded in 1807. At the time, membership was restricted to men, many of whom became well-known names in the history of the geological sciences. On the 21 May 1919, the first female Fellows were elected to the Society, 112 years after its formation.
This Special Publication celebrates the centenary of that important event. In doing so it presents the often untold stories of pioneering women geoscientists from across the world who navigated male-dominated academia and learned societies, experienced the harsh realities of Siberian field-exploration, or responded to the strategic necessity of the ‘petroleum girls’ in early American oil exploration and production.
It uncovers important female role models in the history of science, and investigates why not all of these women received due recognition from their contemporaries and peers. The work has identified a number of common issues that sometimes led to original work and personal achievements being lost or unacknowledged, and as a consequence, to histories being unwritten.
Far-flung female (and fossil bone hunting) Fellows: an autoethnographical approach
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Published:March 15, 2021
Abstract
Geologists roam worldwide; no less for women who took up fellowship of the ‘Geol. Soc.’. Since 1919, women Fellows of the Geological Society have lived and worked across the globe conducting fieldwork and research. Based on the author's interests and in part considering her 50 years an FGS, a selection of women Fellows is considered, many of whom affected her geological life, such as Phoebe Walder and Peigi Wallace. This autoethnographical approach encompasses women from the colonies who joined as soon as they were able; the legendary Dorothy Hill of Queensland was one of the first, with other notable...