Archaeology for women
Archaeologist, paleontologist, Egyptologist, archaeozoologist, paleopalynologist… Neutral terms that don’t say their gender!
Let’s explore the feminine facet of these specialties through a non-exhaustive bibliography of works by female researchers who also interpret science in feminine terms, to continue the reflection prompted by the two UNIL exhibitions, ArchéoSexisme and L’ASA 1980-2020: une histoire d’hommes et de femmes.
A plethora of names, from famous archaeologists such as Annette Laming-Emperaire, a specialist in parietal art, or Lilly Kahil, who created the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC), to Swiss women who have advanced the archaeological cause in their canton, such as Hanni Schwab from Fribourg, and all the periods studied by archaeological excavations: this is what the academic collections offer in a selection of works to be discovered at Unithèque from November1 to 23, 2021.
But above all, discover the place of women at theInstitut d’archéologie et des sciences de l’antiquité (ASA) through the words of one of its graduate assistants…
Evelyne Barman Crotti
ASA 1980-2020: a story of men AND women
In September 2021, the “Archéo-sexisme” touring exhibition was inaugurated at the University of Lausanne, in association with members of the ASA (Archéologie et Sciences de l’Antiquité), with the aim of presenting an exhibition tracing the history of the Institute since its creation in 1982. The information gathered ranged from figures on the composition of intermediate and professorial bodies to more general reflections on the place of women in the Sciences of Antiquity and the visibility accorded to gender studies. This research led to a number of findings, which were made available to the public at the opening of the exhibition.
Men and women at ASA: statistical analysis
Several different studies were carried out: the aim was to collect figures on the ratio of women to men at ASA since the Institute was founded, taking into account the composition of the student, intermediate and professorial bodies. Parallel surveys were also carried out in the field of archaeology, taking into account the specific characteristics of this discipline. The results were analyzed and compared with the testimonies of various collaborators and alumni. The findings seem quite clear: despite the relative stability of the figures between Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate levels, the data show a clear decline in the percentage of women active in the academic world after obtaining a Doctorate. These figures, which are particularly visible in archaeology, reflect a number of factors: the lack of relief positions, the lack of facilities for families with children and the lack of long-term career prospects are forcing many men and women to interrupt their academic careers – which are too precarious and uncertain – to secure their future. In archaeology, these constraints are compounded by the difficulty, for women with children, of carrying out excavations abroad while looking after the welfare of their child(ren). In this way, we are confronted with the famous “leaky pipeline” phenomenon: initially in the majority, women become rarer and rarer as positions require a prolonged commitment. But beware of jumping to conclusions: despite the lack of succession positions (assistant masters or first assistants), some branches employ a high number of women, particularly in ancient history and Latin. So it’s not all black and white! Solutions still need to be found, especially in archaeology, where the balance between professional and private life is particularly difficult to maintain. However, the figures we have obtained show an encouraging improvement in attitudes and in the resources deployed to maintain a balanced male/female ratio.
Gender studies
To say the least, gender studies didn’t really take off until the 21st century – far from it! Prior to the 2000s, only a handful of works dealt with the place of women in the ancient world, including the book Choruses of Young Women in Ancient Greece. Their Morphology, Religious Role, and Social Functions written in 1997 by Hellenist Claude Calame. In the light of the research carried out for the exhibition, it appears that interest in gender studies in the late 2000s was primarily the result of the research of historian Regula Frei-Stolba. She inspired a new generation of researchers – including current full professor Anne Bielman – who in turn explored this field of study. The teaching provided by these antiquisantes, reinforced by the numerous publications they produced in the field of gender studies, enabled the discipline of ancient history to acquire a virtual monopoly on these themes within the Institute. This phenomenon of “mentoring” is therefore particularly visible, and appears to be crucial to the development of research devoted to women.
Conclusion: progress made, progress still to be made…
The exhibition produced by the ASA, in collaboration with “Archéo-sexisme”, highlights the many difficulties that remain within the Institute. After obtaining their doctorate, many researchers are faced with numerous dilemmas, most of which lead them to abandon their academic careers in favor of family and professional stability. But the figures for recent years are encouraging, and bear witness to a real awareness. So we can only hope that, in the future, women will be able to enjoy true equality of opportunity, and that the phenomenon known as the “leaky pipeline” will be a distant memory…
Joséphine Bovay
