Career Trends in Mammalogy

A survey of individual members of The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was conducted in 1990 to quantify emerging career trends and educational needs in the field of mammalogy. Results were compared with a similar questionnaire of ASM members in 1978 and indicated that the number of female mammalogists, though still relatively low, has more than doubled during the past decade. However, representation among African-Americans and Hispanics has remained low. Results showed greater increase in the interdisciplinary nature of employment among mammalogists compared to the actual interdisciplinary training received by individuals during their academic career. There also has been an increased emphasis on research as the primary responsibility of mammalogists in their current positions. This has been accompanied by a decreased emphasis on teaching. The survey also showed a shift to older age classes, indicating lack of recruitment of graduate students into mammalogy.