Think about the last time you had to pee in the wilderness… how cold did you get? Did you count the bug bites? And what about the folks there with you, how did they feel about it? People of all shapes and sizes are invited to participate in Arctic field work, but the work might not quite fit everyone quite as well, and sometimes that can affect the safety and wellbeing of polar researchers.

SIOS-KC, AWI and APECS propose to co-convene a special session at the Arctic Safety Conference 2021: “Women on Arctic Fieldwork”, and would like your input. They are conducting a survey which you can complete here to help us better understand how much of a barrier poorly designed field equipment is to your work.

The results of the survey will be presented alongside keynote speakers and a discussion in the session. We hope to provide an arena for information exchange concerning gender and sex specific challenges faced especially by women when engaging in fieldwork in cold and remote environments. The issues highlighted can act as a barrier for the full participation of women and non-binary folks in Arctic research and operations, and in the worst case can discourage young professionals from pursuing these careers altogether. This session will showcase examples of good practice that has been implemented to address such issues and ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing in the field. Men are explicitly invited and encouraged to take part in this discussion, on 10 November at 11:30 am GMT as their awareness and participation are the key to solving the problems raised.

You can sign up to join the zoom seminar here.

Authors: Inger Jennings, Verena Mohaupt, Élise Devoie
photo right: Esther Horvath, MOSAiC / AWI ; photo left: Inger Jennings, SIOS