Today @babybumpproject and I presented our work on " #MeToo Antarctica: Gendered power relations and sexual harassment in #Antarctic science and remote #fieldwork​" at the #GSWC2020 @leadingatwork, where we highlighted some of the factors at play in workplaces in the #farsouth

When you think of #Antarctica, you may think of #penguins & #icebergs - but it's also a workplace! Around 5000 people (summer) & 1000 people (winter) work on the continent (and others work on vessels in the surrounding #SouthernOcean) #GSCW2020

In 2017 we surveyed some of the #women who have worked in #Antarctica to learn more about their experiences - we ID'd 5 key barriers https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209983 #GSWC2020

& found that **63%** of women in our study reported having been sexually harassed in the field.​ However, it is a mistake to judge the effectiveness of #MeToo in STEMM via individual cases at the expense of examining wider organisational cultures and identity politics! #GSWC2020

So we took a closer look at the complex #historical, cultural, and relational tensions that sit beneath #MeToo in #Antarctic science in order to provide a more nuanced approach to structural change #GSWC2020

Tales of masculine endeavor have predominated throughout much of #Antarctica's human history (& images of #heroes battling the blizzard continue to circulate) - for more on this, check out @morganseag's work on #women & #Antarctica in historical context! #GSWC2020

It's also really important to articulate the hierarchical nature of relationships such as #PhD supervisor/ student or project leader/ staff - these power dynamics must be acknowledged, particularly prior to #fieldwork #GSWC2020

What's our take-home message? #Identity & #Science are intertwined, not mutually exclusive.

Changing the wider culture requires global institutional commitment to fostering cultural change - not a small job, but important in order to make #Science more inclusive for all

And shoutout to @PridePolar @PolarImpact @WomeninPolarSci for drawing attention to #diversity, #equity & #inclusion within the #polar research sphere - give them a follow! #GSWC2020