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.

人们通常认为自然历史是从业余到专业的过渡，发生于19世纪，但是里程碑式的事件，例如1917年任命真菌学家Johanna Westerdijk（1883–1961年）为荷兰第一位女教授，这表明了这种模式与男性相比，女性的变化更多，更延误。我们调查了真菌学的这种转变，并确定了西方世界中只有43位妇女发表了1900年前的科学真菌学文献，其中12位妇女发表了新的真菌类群。通过绘制这些妇女随时间推移的图表，并比较自学成才的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研究中的关键作用。使用一套策略，六个自学成才的业余爱好者克服了教育上的劣势和名字-凯瑟琳娜·德瑞恩（CatharinaDörrien，第一个命名为真菌分类群的人），玛丽·安妮·利伯特，玛丽·伊丽莎白·班宁，埃莉斯·卡罗琳·博默，玛丽埃·卢梭和安妮·洛兰·史密斯。到1900年，真菌学领域的女性职业时代已经到来，越来越多的人发表了新的类群。然而，在承认和晋升方面与男同事保持平等仍然是一个持续的问题。