Women at the Bottom of the World: Lois Jones and the First All-Female Expedition to Antarctica

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the decision that Antarctic researcher Lois Jones faced in 1969. After spending years conducting her research based on samples collected by her male colleagues, Jones was presented with the opportunity to lead her own expedition to Antarctica, on the conditions that her crew was all-female and would reside primarily off-base, away from the male researchers of McMurdo Station. By placing Jones’ dilemma in the broader context of polar exploration and the historic role of women in it, this paper analyses the potential implications of Jones’ eventual all-female crew on the gender dynamics of scientific research.