Message: Jenny Cox’s obituary | Stephen Cox

In writing about my mother, Jenny Cox, I mentioned that she was refused permission to conduct doctoral research in botany on South Georgia Island simply because she was a woman. Although she considered this an injustice for the rest of her life, she never revealed any details of what happened.

The British Antarctic Survey’s efficient archive service has now made available a letter from Sir Vivien Fox dated 7 October 1959. He still wanted my mother to undertake laboratory work in the UK on existing specimens. However, he prevented her or any other woman from reaching the island, citing accommodation and harsh conditions in the field.

In hindsight, this decision ended her scientific career. Fox’s views on women in Antarctica and sub-Antarctica were widely embraced by men, and the policy was applied to Antarctic voyages for most nationalities of the time. Fortunately, Jenny went on to explain how people can overcome setbacks and do other things.