Getting There without Aiming at It: Women's Experiences in Becoming Cartographers

This article presents findings from an ongoing study of gender and cartography. In this paper, I offer narratives from interviews with some 38 women cartographers from 21 countries and in 15 languages. The narratives explain how women have become interested in cartographic work, their formative years, and the distinctive twists and turns of their becoming cartographers. I also describe their identifying moments as occupational incumbents. The article is sociological in nature and uses a qualitative methodology.