The transition from amateur to professional in natural history is generally regarded as having taken place in the nineteenth century, but landmark events such as the 1917 appointment of mycologist Johanna Westerdijk (1883–1961) as the first female professor in the Netherlands indicate that the pattern of change for women was more varied and delayed than for men. We investigate this transition in mycology, and identify only 43 women in the Western World who published scientific mycological literature pre-1900, of whom twelve published new fungal taxa. By charting the emergence of these women over time, and comparing the output of self-taught amateurs and university graduates, we establish the key role of access to higher education in female participation in mycology. Using a suite of strategies, six of the self-taught amateurs managed to overcome their educational disadvantages and name names — Catharina Dörrien (the first to name a fungal taxon), Marie-Anne Libert, Mary Elizabeth Banning, Élise-Caroline Bommer, Mariette Rousseau, and Annie Lorrain Smith. By 1900, the professional era for women in mycology was underway, and increasing numbers published new taxa. Parity with male colleagues in recognition and promotion, however, remains an ongoing issue.

人们普遍认为自然历史学从业余到专业的转变发生在 19 世纪，但诸如 1917 年任命真菌学家约翰娜·韦斯特戴克 (Johanna Westerdijk，1883-1961) 为荷兰第一位女教授等具有里程碑意义的事件表明，这种模式与男性相比，女性的变革更加多样化且延迟。我们调查了真菌学的这一转变，并发现西方世界只有 43 名女性在 1900 年之前发表了科学真菌学文献，其中 12 名发表了新的真菌类群。通过绘制这些女性随时间的出现情况，并比较自学业余爱好者和大学毕业生的产出，我们确定了接受高等教育在女性参与真菌学方面的关键作用。利用一套策略，六名自学成才的业余爱好者成功克服了他们的教育劣势，并命名了他们的名字——Catharina Dörrien（第一个命名真菌分类群的人）、Marie-Anne Libert、Mary Elizabeth Banning、Élise-Caroline Bommer、Mariette卢梭和安妮·洛兰·史密斯。到 1900 年，真菌学领域女性的职业时代已经到来，越来越多的人发表了新的分类单元。然而，在认可和晋升方面与男同事平等仍然是一个持续存在的问题。