Bibliotheca Herpetologica 16(4)

Dodd, C. K. Jr. 2022.  Women in Herpetology—A Short Biography of Isabel Hoopes. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 16(4):37–42. Published March 27, 2022. Prior to World War II, there were few women publishing on herpetology in the United States, and most of them were associated with major research institutions. Women were intensely discriminated against when attempting to enter graduate programs and, if graduated and professionally hired, were generally relegated to lesser positions than their male counterparts. Even in academia, women were expected to take up laboratory experimental research or work in museums, usually as assistants, rather than venture into the field or assume the title of curator. However, there are a number of lesser-known women without advanced degrees, or even degrees in biology, who made significant early contributions to advance our appreciation and knowledge of amphibians and reptiles at a time when few other naturalists did. Here, I present a short biography of Isabel Hoopes of Massachusetts.