Australia’s Antarctic bases rife with sexual harassment, porn use and homophobia, review claims

Women working on Australia’s Antarctic bases are introduced for sex, subjected to sexist jokes and porn, and feel compelled to hide their periods to fit in with a ‘boys’ culture.

Female expedition members described predatory and objectifying behavior on the Antarctic research stations and widespread sexual harassment in a scathing review that provoked an angry response from the Australian government.

The report, commissioned by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) to station culture, heard from women saying they should “practically hide menstruation” and improvise menstrual products when they weren’t available.

Women described changing menstrual products without privacy or adequate sanitation, having to wear bloody products in the field, and changing their hormonal balance with drugs to make menstruation less uncomfortable.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she was shocked and disappointed when she read people’s experiences and promised a culture overhaul.

The study, conducted by Professor Meredith Nash of the University of Tasmania, conducted in-depth interviews with 22 AAD employees and conducted informal conversations with dozens of others.

While women in this study found a range of ways to deal with it individually, the most worrying issue is that menstruating men feel compelled to maintain a male-dominated field culture in which menstruation is hidden and controlled to meet male needs. cultural norms,” ​​the summary report reads.

“I think it’s unethical to some extent for us to keep trying to encourage women to enter a male-dominated field if we’re not confident that organizations can protect them,” Nash said. ABC.

AAD director Kim Ellis said he was deeply concerned about the findings and said “significant progress” had already been made in implementing more than 40 recommendations.

Women overwhelmingly described Antarctic research stations as “blokey,” with a pervasive culture of widespread low-level sexual harassment (Pictured, Casey station living quarters at night)

The study, conducted by Professor Meredith Nash of the University of Tasmania, conducted in-depth interviews with 22 AAD employees and conducted informal conversations with dozens of others.

“No matter how many people have experienced this behavior — we know that underreporting is almost certainly a factor — the fact that someone is experiencing this treatment is not okay,” he said in a statement.

Women described Antarctic research stations predominantly as “boy,” with a pervasive culture of widespread low-level sexual harassment.

“Given the under-representation of women… (especially in winter), some women also described the culture as ‘predatory’ and ‘objectifying’,” the study said.

Participants noted that women experienced a range of harassment, including uninvited physical contact or gestures, unwelcome requests for sex, sexual comments, jokes or innuendo, intrusive questions, display of offensive or pornographic material, sex-based insults or taunts, and unsolicited invitations.

Participants also described a homophobic culture on research stations.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she was shocked and disappointed when she read people’s experiences and promised a culture overhaul.

“As a minister, I respond to a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment in any workplace for which I am responsible,” she told ABC.

“I was really stunned when I read some of the reports here about pornographic material on the walls (because) I really thought we wiped out this (kind of) thing…decades ago.”

All recommendations have been adopted by the AAD, which maintains three permanently manned stations on the frozen continent.

The AAD regularly advertises for Aussies to go south to work in research stations where most have to live in frigid conditions for six to 12 months

Participants in the review process also described a homophobic culture on AAD research stations

They include establishing an equality and inclusion task force and setting goals to increase diversity among expedition members.

Workers usually spend six or 12 months at the bases under their contract – unless they’re sent home or emergencies mean they have to leave.

When accepting employment with the AAD, employees agree not to engage in sexual harassment or forms of “extreme conduct” as described in a code of conduct.

Examples on the AAD recruiting page include: “Irregular conduct, including violent, threatening, abusive, or abusive” and “indecent exposure and other abusive, obscene, or abusive acts.”

“Sexual harassment is any unwanted, unsolicited and unanswered behavior of a sexual nature that another individual rejects,” says AAD’s recruitment page.

Violations of the Code can lead to counselling, reprimands, early return to Australia and the referral to the authorities of any case with legal ramifications.