Nearly 50 Years Ago, Women Broke an Antarctic Barrier

National Science Foundation
Office of Polar Programs
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230

Posted November 14, 2018

Image: U.S. Navy

Today, a woman, Dr. Kelly K. Falkner, heads NSF's office of Polar Programs and the NSF-managed U.S. Antarctic Program. And women may be found in a variety of occupations, both across the program and in the Arctic, from conducting field research to flying aircraft to managing research stations.

But in the first half of 1969, U.S. women were still effectively barred from living and working in Antarctica under U.S. Navy regulations. That changed when a handful of women arrived on the continent for the 1969-70 field season. Six of the seven would further make history when they became the first women to set foot at the geographic South Pole nearly fifty years ago this week.

Pictured below on Nov. 12, 1969 are: U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Rear Adm. David F. "Kelly" Welch (third from left) accompanying Terry Lee Tickhill, Lois Jones, Pam Young, Eileen McSaveney, Kay Lindsay and Jean Pearson, left to right, on their first steps at the South Pole. The six women became the first to travel to 90 Degrees South, breaking a barrier that had existed for more than 10 years. At the right is then-Lt. Jon Clarke, aide to the admiral.

Read more in “Breaking The Ice”, a 2009 story in the Antarctic Sun, which is published by the NSF-managed U.S. Antarctic Program: https://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/1946

The story was accompanied by a bulleted list of "Famous Firsts' by women of all nationalities in Antarctica: https://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/1954