SCIENCE AND THE SUCCESSFUL FEMALE - WHY THERE ARE SO MANY WOMEN PRIMATOLOGISTS

This essay demonstrates that there is a significantly greater proportion of women in primatological societies than there are women in analogous professional societies and general biological societies. However, there are not more women in primatology than in its parental disciplines of anthropology, psychology, and animal behavior. Six explanations are presented as to why women might be successful in primatology as a science, and implications of the findings on gender representation are discussed.