MARIA KLENOVA: PIONEERING POLAR MARINE GEOLOGIST

Maria Klenova (1898-1976), Soviet marine geologist, is credited as the first woman to carry out her own research in Antarctica. She had serendipitously worked in the Arctic for the first part of her career, employed by a mentor who truly believed in women’s equality, Her goal was to compare the Southern Ocean sediments with those she had studied in the Arctic. In 1956, that dream was realized as she worked aboard the Ob, a research vessel sent to Antarctica to help prepare a Soviet research station, Mirny as part of the Soviet plan for the International Geophysical Year in 1957-1958.

The Soviet Union, as a communist government, welcomed women into the work force. Women were encouraged to go to school and become scientists. However, when it came to positions of leadership or remote field work, women were denied most opportunities. Much like western countries, the reality was that, men were offered more opportunities for doing science aboard research vessels and in remote field locations. Initially, Klenova was met with the same chauvinistic barriers to carrying out her science in the Antarctic that many western women encountered in the mid 20^thcentury.