Weather is a universal experience— it influences daily life both at individual and community levels. It is a common subject of discussion amongst family, friends, and acquaintances as it is something we can all relate to. As experts of the atmospheric sciences, meteorologists aid us to understand local weather patterns through their knowledge and tools. With the use of their guided predictions, the public is able to get informed about the possible impacts of incoming weather events and prepare accordingly. Despite womens’ equal participation, hard work, and ambitions in the sciences, which has been undermined through much of history, they have proven to be hugely contributable to the scientific community. To understand the mark that women made on meteorological history, let us explore the contributions of some Canadian women in the field and how their roles have changed through the advancement of women in the workforce.
Approaching the start of World War II, meteorology became a pivotal service in the war. Women began to take over for men that were dispatched to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. Prior to this time and even well into the war, meteorology was almost strictly a male profession, with seemingly no thought given by the Meteorological Division to hiring women until 1943. A year earlier, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) formed a Women’s Division with the need to hire observers and plotters. This division included in-uniform members of RCAF who were pioneer Meteorological Technicians. With the success of this program, and the increasing demand for Meteorological Officers during wartime, a few qualified, female university graduates were officially hired to the Short Course in Meteorology #9 in 1943. These three women were Frances Carson (Sutherland), Joan E. Griffiths, and Patricia Ball (Pow). Carson and Griffiths were chosen to enroll in the advanced course by the University of Toronto that year while Ball went on to become one of the first female meteorologists in Canada.
These three women were followed by two additional hires who completed short course #10 in 1943–44. Joan O’Brien was believed to be one of these five women whose meteorological career lasted the longest — more than 27 years.
Following the war, the Meteorological Division lost many of their meteorologists after demand for services reduced. Many returned to pre-war professions or returned home to raise their families. John Patterson, director of the Meteorological Service of Canada at the time, emphasized on his recommendations for the expansion of the Meteorological Service with the threat of war still looming in the country. “Women had proved to be competent and should be employed wherever possible and given the same opportunity for training as men,” he stated. (Milo 2013)
Patricia Grossmith (Gladis) joined the Meteorological Service in 1962, and was the first “weather woman” to be featured on the cover of the Canadian Department of Transport’s magazine. Despite making a name for herself in the meteorological workplace, she demonstrated extraordinary success and gained substantial popularity in a different field. Going on to work in her field of specialty, the physics of liquid crystals, she won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1991.
The first ever woman to get a PhD in meteorology, Marianne English, received her Master’s degree in 1964 and went on to attend McGill University. She commented on Kimberly Strong, who was the second woman to win the Patterson medal, which recognizes service to meteorology in Canada, in 2021. “…her chosen field of meteorology is a good one for women. There are few women in Canada in the field and there will be a need for more and more,” she stated, quoted by the Winnipeg Free Press.
All of these Canadian women, and countless more in history, have paved the way for gender equality in meteorology. Although the career remains male-dominated, women are continuing to stand their ground and make their place in the field. It is important to acknowledge the contributions of women and how their involvement in the scientific community grew over time. It will only continue to grow, setting the scene for more young, aspiring atmospheric scientists and physicists who are determined to make a difference.
