RSPB's Catriona Corfield, People Strategy Project Manager, tells us how women role models inspired her to pursue a career in conservation...
The role models who got me into conservation were predominantly women - my mum, my great aunt (blind since I’d known her but could identify any bird by sound) and spear fisher turned fearless shark conservationist, Valerie Taylor.
So powerful were these role models so that my brother thought nature conservation was a “girly thing”!
Sadly I’ve had a few encounters with people who’ve not seen it as a “girly thing” at all – from being told to “hold the nails love” instead of getting stuck into practical work to having male birders pretend they didn’t just hear me and triumphantly repeat my correct ID! Did it put me off? Nah! It just made me more determined.
When I fulfilled my ambition to study ecology at my chosen university I found myself and a female friend not deliberately excluded but nevertheless not overtly welcomed at one nature-based club. So we formed another – a massive success I might add – both in numbers and in diversity- and it still exists today.
From that day and since, the twin themes of inclusion and conservation have run through my personal and professional life. In the time I have spare in between my work and raising my own future woman in conservation, I sit on a Women in Conservation Leadership steering group – elevating the achievements of the many remarkable women in my organisation and sector.
And in my working life I have fulfilled my other lifelong ambition to work for the RSPB. I now find myself in my ideal role – managing a project to push further forward the organisation’s approach on Equality and Diversity. Nature conservation is for the benefit of everyone, and needs a range of voices to be a part of the solution, and I’m proud of the small part I play in it.