“Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork
Antarctica is often associated with images of masculine figures battling against the blizzard. The pervasiveness of heroic white masculine leadership and exploration in Antarctica and, more broadly, in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) research cultures, has meant w...
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ftrepec:oai:RePEc:plo:pone00:0209983 2023-05-15T13:31:37+02:00 “Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork Meredith Nash Hanne E F Nielsen Justine Shaw Matt King Mary-Anne Lea Narissa Bax https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983&type=printable unknown https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983&type=printable article ftrepec 2020-12-04T13:35:23Z Antarctica is often associated with images of masculine figures battling against the blizzard. The pervasiveness of heroic white masculine leadership and exploration in Antarctica and, more broadly, in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) research cultures, has meant women have had lesser access to Antarctic research and fieldwork opportunities, with a marked increase since the 1980s. This article presents findings from an exploratory online survey examining how 95 women experienced research and remote Antarctic fieldwork with the Australian Antarctic Program. Although women are entering polar science in greater numbers, a key theme of the qualitative findings of this survey is that gendered barriers to participation in research and fieldwork persist. We discuss five key gendered barriers including: 1) Physical barriers, 2) Caring responsibilities/unpaid work, 3) Cultural sexism/gender bias, 4) Lack of opportunities/recognition, and 5) Unwanted male attention/sexual harassment. We argue that the lack of attention paid to gender and sexuality in polar fieldwork contributes to the invisibility and exclusion of women and other marginalized identities broadly. To conclude, we point to the importance of targeted inclusivity, diversity and equity initiatives through Antarctic research globally and specifically by National Antarctic Programs. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Australian Antarctic Program RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) Antarctic |
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Antarctica is often associated with images of masculine figures battling against the blizzard. The pervasiveness of heroic white masculine leadership and exploration in Antarctica and, more broadly, in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) research cultures, has meant women have had lesser access to Antarctic research and fieldwork opportunities, with a marked increase since the 1980s. This article presents findings from an exploratory online survey examining how 95 women experienced research and remote Antarctic fieldwork with the Australian Antarctic Program. Although women are entering polar science in greater numbers, a key theme of the qualitative findings of this survey is that gendered barriers to participation in research and fieldwork persist. We discuss five key gendered barriers including: 1) Physical barriers, 2) Caring responsibilities/unpaid work, 3) Cultural sexism/gender bias, 4) Lack of opportunities/recognition, and 5) Unwanted male attention/sexual harassment. We argue that the lack of attention paid to gender and sexuality in polar fieldwork contributes to the invisibility and exclusion of women and other marginalized identities broadly. To conclude, we point to the importance of targeted inclusivity, diversity and equity initiatives through Antarctic research globally and specifically by National Antarctic Programs. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Meredith Nash Hanne E F Nielsen Justine Shaw Matt King Mary-Anne Lea Narissa Bax |
spellingShingle |
Meredith Nash Hanne E F Nielsen Justine Shaw Matt King Mary-Anne Lea Narissa Bax “Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
author_facet |
Meredith Nash Hanne E F Nielsen Justine Shaw Matt King Mary-Anne Lea Narissa Bax |
author_sort |
Meredith Nash |
title |
“Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
title_short |
“Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
title_full |
“Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
title_fullStr |
“Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
title_full_unstemmed |
“Antarctica just has this hero factor…”: Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
title_sort |
“antarctica just has this hero factor…”: gendered barriers to australian antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
url |
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983&type=printable |
geographic |
Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Australian Antarctic Program |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Australian Antarctic Program |
op_relation |
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983&type=printable |
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