OOS 42-5
Diversity in ESA at 100: An historic assessment
The Ecological Society of America's centenary provides an opportunity for the society to examine its success in promoting careers of women and under-represented racial and ethnic minorities in the field of ecology. In recent years, ESA has initiated efforts to improve representation, including the WAMIE I and II Reports; Strategies in Ecology Education, Development, and Sustainability (SEEDS) program; implementation of the Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award; establishment of human-centered sections; and increased disciplinary emphasis on anthropogenic impacts. To assess the impacts of these efforts on the diversity of the field of ecology, we examined historical changes in gender and racial/ethnic diversity in ESA membership overall and in ESA leadership as exemplified by society officers, committee chairs, award recipients, election nominations, and election results from 1979-2012. We used the two Women and Minorities in Ecology Reports (WAMIE I in 1992 and WAMIE II in 2006) as milestones to divide the past two decades into three periods: pre-WAMIE (1979-1992), between-WAMIE (1993-2006), and post-WAMIE (2007-2012). We conducted an historical assessment of the involvement of women and under-represented racial/ethnic minorities during these periods and use the results to make recommendations for future policies.
Results/Conclusions
ESA membership has shifted substantially since 1979 with female membership increasing by 60%, male decreasing by 20%, and minority doubling to 8.6%. These shifts, however, were not reflected by changes in ESA leadership or awards. Pre-WAMIE was dominated by male presidents and while between-WAMIE numbers were similar, post-WAMIE numbers have reverted. Other governing board positions shifted little. Editorial boards pre-WAMIE were predominantly male. Between-WAMIE, the percentage of female editors increased for Ecological Applications, but not Ecology. Post-WAMIE, the percentage of females has increased for both. While the newly-established Ecosphere editor is female, the board is male-dominated. Only three under-represented minorities were identified on the boards of ESA journals—all post-WAMIE. Chairs of sections and chapters have been predominantly male, but while female representation has increased post-WAMIE, minority leadership remains minimal. Male predominance in awards and the newly announced ESA Fellows may be because these awards are made for long-term contributions. This contrasts with the recent prevalence of female recipients of Braun and Buell awards, which focus on recent contributions. The Mercer Award, given to the same demographic, has had few female recipients. Again, under-represented minorities are noticeably absent from award winners and ESA fellows. Clearly work remains to be done.