National Antarctic Program responses to fieldwork sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a common experience for women and those from other underrepresentedgroups in (white) male-dominated fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM). Women are especially vulnerable to sexual harassment during remote scientific fieldwork. Todate, most of th...
Published in: | Antarctic Science |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Cambridge Univ Press
2021
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://eprints.utas.edu.au/38491/ https://eprints.utas.edu.au/38491/1/146642%20-%20national%20antarctic%20program%20responses.pdf https://eprints.utas.edu.au/38491/2/146642%20-%20National%20Antarctic%20Program.pdf |
Summary: | Sexual harassment is a common experience for women and those from other underrepresentedgroups in (white) male-dominated fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM). Women are especially vulnerable to sexual harassment during remote scientific fieldwork. Todate, most of the limited research on fieldwork harassment has focused on individual experiences.There is an urgent need for research on organizational approaches to fieldwork sexual harassment.This study fills this gap by examining sexual harassment prevention by National Antarctic Programs.It draws on a desktop analysis of 36 National Antarctic Program websites with a focus on the currentavailability and quality of sexual harassment policies and procedures in expeditioner handbooks/fieldmanuals. Findings show that very few National Antarctic Programs make their expeditionerhandbooks/field manuals publicly available (n = 9), and even fewer mention sexual harassment in thedocumentation or describe how to lodge a complaint (n = 3). This article concludes by offering somereasons as to why National Antarctic Programs may be neglecting this issue. It also provides practicalrecommendations for developing more substantive content in expeditioner handbooks/field manualsand for building inclusive fieldwork environments for a diverse range of expeditioners. |
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