Abstract
Abstract Recent initiatives in polar research like Women in Polar Science and Women of the Arctic have shone a light on the strengths of female polar researchers and the struggles they have faced in their respective careers. These initiatives have started and contributed to ongoing conversations in the polar research community about increasing diversity and making the field more inclusive. In this commentary, we discuss the need to focus on intersectionality in diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives in polar research, and to address intersecting barriers faced by members and would-be members of our fields. These barriers are varied, often overlapping, and include, but are not limited to: gender identity; sexuality; socio-economic status; language; disability; and race. Polar research is poised to benefit from a tremendous diversity of ideas and approaches if we as a community can fully commit ourselves to understanding and addressing overlapping, interconnected barriers to equality and progress in polar research.
Highlights
The publication of this special issue arrives at an important moment for the polar research community
Gender bias and discrimination have been pervasive in both the Arctic and the Antarctic since the earliest polar expeditions, whose gendered and colonial roots laid the foundation for polar science as we know it today (Bloom, 1993; Glasberg, 2012; Rosner, 2009)
A recent study on women in the Australian Antarctic Program identified gendered barriers to women’s participation including: physical barriers; caring responsibilities and unpaid work; cultural sexism/gender bias; a lack of opportunities and recognition; and unwanted attention and harassment (Nash et al, 2019). These apply to women in many institutions across the world, working in both Antarctica and the Arctic, as has been made clear by a range of scholarly work, events, webinars and op-eds in recent years (e.g. Association of Polar Early Career Scientists [APECS], 2019; Bell & Koenig, 2017; Smieszek & Prior, 2019; Starkweather, Seag, Lee, & Pope, 2018)
Summary
Efforts to improve gender equality in polar research have evolved in varying ways across the world. A common feature of efforts to improve gender equality in most fields – not just polar research – has been a de facto homogenisation of the category “women”. While this example may seem remote to some polar researchers, it clearly illustrates the broad principle of intersecting identities and disadvantages. While we focus our intersectional lens on women in this commentary, in line with this special issue of Polar Record, it is important to note that intersectionality does apply to women: we all experience overlapping challenges and opportunities on the basis of our multiple identities
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