'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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ftunivtasmania:oai:eprints.utas.edu.au:29176 2023-05-15T13:31:53+02:00 'Antarctica just has this hero factor.': Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork Nash, MB Nielsen, HEF Shaw, J King, MA Lea, MA Bax, N 2019 application/pdf https://eprints.utas.edu.au/29176/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/29176/1/130499%20-%20Antarctica%20just%20has%20this%20hero%20factor.pdf en eng Public Library of Science https://eprints.utas.edu.au/29176/1/130499%20-%20Antarctica%20just%20has%20this%20hero%20factor.pdf Nash, MB orcid:0000-0002-7429-4924 , Nielsen, HEF orcid:0000-0002-2761-7727 , Shaw, J, King, MA orcid:0000-0001-5611-9498 , Lea, MA orcid:0000-0001-8318-9299 and Bax, N 2019 , ''Antarctica just has this hero factor.': Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork' , PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 1 , pp. 1-22 , doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209983>. women in STEMM antarctica fieldwork gender Article PeerReviewed 2019 ftunivtasmania https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 2021-09-20T22:17:14Z 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 University of Tasmania: UTas ePrints Antarctic PLOS ONE 14 1 e0209983 |
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ftunivtasmania |
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women in STEMM antarctica fieldwork gender |
spellingShingle |
women in STEMM antarctica fieldwork gender Nash, MB Nielsen, HEF Shaw, J King, MA Lea, MA Bax, N 'Antarctica just has this hero factor.': Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork |
topic_facet |
women in STEMM antarctica fieldwork gender |
description |
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 |
Nash, MB Nielsen, HEF Shaw, J King, MA Lea, MA Bax, N |
author_facet |
Nash, MB Nielsen, HEF Shaw, J King, MA Lea, MA Bax, N |
author_sort |
Nash, MB |
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 |
publisher |
Public Library of Science |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://eprints.utas.edu.au/29176/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/29176/1/130499%20-%20Antarctica%20just%20has%20this%20hero%20factor.pdf |
geographic |
Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Australian Antarctic Program |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Australian Antarctic Program |
op_relation |
https://eprints.utas.edu.au/29176/1/130499%20-%20Antarctica%20just%20has%20this%20hero%20factor.pdf Nash, MB orcid:0000-0002-7429-4924 , Nielsen, HEF orcid:0000-0002-2761-7727 , Shaw, J, King, MA orcid:0000-0001-5611-9498 , Lea, MA orcid:0000-0001-8318-9299 and Bax, N 2019 , ''Antarctica just has this hero factor.': Gendered barriers to Australian Antarctic research and remote fieldwork' , PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 1 , pp. 1-22 , doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209983>. |
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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 |
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PLOS ONE |
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14 |
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e0209983 |
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