Society of Women Geographers

What do Jane Goodall, Amelia Earhart, and I have in common? Membership in the Society of Women Geographers.

This wonderful group has been around since 1925, but I’m often surprised to find that women who are as passionate about travel, history, and geography as I am have never heard about it.

This is an international organization for women who have accomplished a fairly substantial amount of travel and research — so it’s not a group of kids. The backgrounds vary widely–adventurers, anthropologists, astronauts, food historians, wildlife researchers, Egyptologists, geologists, mountain climbers, archaeologists, and women pursuing pretty much any other area of study related to physical or human geography that you can imagine.

You can’t just join the group–you have to be nominated by two people, you have to document that you meet the membership criteria, and then the board votes on your application. However, if you think you qualify, you can contact the organization and find out if there is a group near you and visit them (most larger groups have monthly meetings). That’s a good way to find someone who might nominate you, if you do qualify.

If you’re interested in knowing what the membership criteria are, you can find them here, on the group’s website: Society of Women Geographers. The site also includes some history of the group and describes a bit more of its purpose.

There are loads of other organizations that pursue geographic interests, if you don’t yet meet the criteria of membership, so you won’t miss all the fun if you aren’t a member. However, if you do meet the criteria, it’s a great place to find people who share your interests.