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it is interesting to note that even in 1987, of the 435 candidates thar have been certified as Diplomates since the prestigious American Academy of Sanitarian wa founded in 1964, less than 2% have been women. From the late seventies through the early eighties there were major change. for women in the field, as they began to gain the professional recognition they were seeking. In that period increasing numbers of women not only entered the field but also began to serve as presidents of state affiliates of NEHA, Regional Vice Presidents and official delegates to the National Board ofDirectors, and program participants as well as award recipients. In the seventies, Helene Uhlman was the first woman to run an active cam paign for second vice-president of NEHA, but it took until the 1980's for a woman to actually achieve the position. Diane Eastman became the first nationally elected officer, assuming the presidency during NEHA's Fiftieth Anniversary Conference in 1987. That the environmental health field will continue to be the domain of qualified female as well as male professionals is apparent when looking at the academic programs train ing the future leaders. Reviewing data from the last two decades it is obvious that not only are such academic programs growing in number, but that the number of female students has steadily increased. In some programs there have even been more female than male graduates during some years. It is also evident that while the decade of the seventies marked a major transition point for women environmentalists, it was also the decade where the academic programs experienced major change. A 1987 survey of 26 academic programs, for which there was a 66% response rate, found that in the 1965-66 academic year there were 65 graduates nationally from environmental health programs. Of those one was a woman (2%). In the 1975-76 academic year, 397 graduates were reported, of which 83 (21% ) were women. Those numbers reflected not only increased enrollments, but also seven new programs since the previous decade. The graduates of 1985-86 numbered 426, of which 170 (40%) were women. The phrase "you've come a long way, baby" seems apt with this retrospective view. It's even more apt when looking at the professional women surveyed in 1987. These women had been in the environmental health field from five to nineteen years, with an average 12.3 years. Their mean age was 43, with a range of28 to 59. Most started in local health departments, with salaries anywhere from $5,000 (1960s) to a mean of $13,500 in the 1980s. Salaries in 1987 were at a mean of $32,000, but ranged to $50,000. No longer entry level, many had moved to state positions, become specialized, supervisors, directors, industrial sanitarians in the private sector, and private consultants. Advanced degrees were not uncommon. Despite the challenge of entering the field, the discrimination faced from peers and public alike, and the technical difficulties modern environmental issues present, women have made their commitment to the environmental health profession. They are now part of the team!
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