This qualifying class at Otago University's dental school reflects the predominance of men among dentistry students and in the dental profession. The two women present sit in the front row, flanking Henry Percy Pickerill, the dean of the school. Given their location in the photograph, they were probably administrative staff, rather than students. Some women did enrol as dental students in the 1920s, and Molly McLachlan, one of the first female students, reported that she did not experience any discrimination. Women graduates were more likely to work in public hospitals or for the Department of Health, rather than in private practice.
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Hocken Collections, University of Otago
Reference: S11-042a
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