Women working in Antarctica say they were left to fend for themselves against sexual harassers

https://lemmy.world/post/3946173

Women working in Antarctica say they were left to fend for themselves against sexual harassers - Lemmy.world

The National Science Foundation, the federal agency that oversees the U.S. Antarctic Program, published a report in 2022 in which 59% of women said they’d experienced harassment or assault while on the ice, and 72% of women said such behavior was a problem in Antarctica. But the problem goes beyond the harassment, The Associated Press found. In reviewing court records and internal communications, and in interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees, the AP uncovered a pattern of women who said their claims of harassment or assault were minimized by their employers, often leading to them or others being put in further danger.

disappointed, but not surprised. You’d think scientists would know better, but men will apparently just be men.

“Men will be men” just excuses the behaviour and ostracizes men who don’t do these things. It has less to do with their sex and more to do with how we raise men.

Toxic masculinity as a defence mechanism of patriarchal society is the main problem and “feminine”, “emotional” or “weak” men, or those not subscribing to heteronormative sexuality are targeted by the same types to uphold their status.

Yup. It boils down to power imbalances that are systemic in a world where men still control almost everything.

I had always hoped we’d move past this but it seems we may not get the chance now (with climate change raging around us).

Where some men still control almost everything.
Ofc it’s not all men, but it’s enough men that make everyone’s lives harder. So instead of arguing “not all” maybe focus on the some that are the cause of the problem.
I love people that demand respect but can’t even give it.