Skip to main content
Entomology 2024 Main banner
Bayer Crop Science
Icon Legend
 
Oral Presentation
Oral Presentation
Poster Display
Poster Display
Student Competition
Student Competition
Ticketed Event
Ticketed Event
Back

Member Symposium

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Queer Entomology: A Retelling of Entomology Through a Queer Lens

The history of gender and geographic diversity among spider taxonomists

Tuesday, November 12, 2024
2:56 PM – 3:13 PM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 225 A
Oral Presentation
Gender diversity among spider taxonomists, and where in the world they are conducting their work, has shaped the history of research in spider biology and the opportunities available for spider biologists today. Using data from the most comprehensive online catalog for any taxon, the World Spider Catalog, we have compiled data about species descriptions, the gender of authors, and the countries with which the authors have been associated. We have analyzed these data to highlight trends regarding who has described new species of spiders, where they have worked, and whether these trends have sexist and colonialist underpinnings. We have found the patterns to be consistent with the effects of patriarchy and colonialism, with the vast majority of taxonomists from 1970 to 2020 being men employed at institutions in the Global North. However, increasingly in more recent years, more women and people of other genders in general and people in the Global South are describing spiders. We hope that our data will paint an accurate picture of the changing peoplescape of arachnology and provide context for why we need to continue our efforts to diversify the field.