Today is International Women’s Day; a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, as well as an annual call to action for accelerating gender parity.
We are proud to have so many female leaders within IAATO and hope that by showcasing just some of the women who contribute to our important mission of advocating and promoting the practice of safe and environmentally responsible Antarctic travel, we can inspire girls to choose a future within the polar community, whether that’s within responsible tourism, science or Antarctic Treaty organisations.
March is also Women’s History Month. Therefore, we are sharing with you throughout the month, the stories of women who paved the way for future polar influencers, such as Mary Alice McWhinnie; the first American woman to join the United States Antarctic Research program, who later became the first American woman to serve as the chief scientist at an Antarctic research station, and Maria Vasilyevna Klenova; the first woman to carry out a program of scientific work in her own discipline in Antarctica and the first woman scientist to go ashore when the icebreaker Ob visited Macquarie Island. You’ll find their stories, and those of other female polar pioneers shared on our Antarctic Ambassador Instagram and Facebook pages throughout this month.
This International Women’s Day across IAATO socials, we highlight 10 women of today who champion IAATO’s values. IAATO’s women inspire us daily to continue our work in protecting the unique place that unites us; Antarctica. I hope that by featuring just some of the women who contribute to our important mission, we can empower and inspire girls to choose careers in polar fields and inspire future female leaders within polar organisations.
Gina Greer | IAATO Executive Director
*We’d like to thank Joanna Kafarowski for providing the images of these two great ladies.