Over the past decade, sexual harassment (and other related bad behavior) has become a hot topic among scientists, and everyone - employers, government agencies, and scientific societies are (properly) under pressure to take action to combat it. Although almost everyone agrees that something must be done, the details are not always simple.
This is especially true in Antarctica, where the problem is enormous, and solutions may be hardest. In September, the NSF released a comprehensive report (available here) which documented the scale of the problem, and gave some thoughts about the solution. A survey provided hard data, which backed up many quotes from interviews. It all made for some very disturbing reading. Briefly, women (and some men) were broadly harassed, and there was often little that was done about it. One interviewee said "“Every woman I knew down there had an assault or harassment experience that had occurred on ice...” Another said "It's so self-evident that [it's] barely work speaking out loud. [Sexual assault and sexual harassment] are a fact of life [here], just like the fact that Antarctica is cold and the wind blows." Another quote describe a male supervisor attempting to break into a women's bedrooms using his master keys, and still another described a violent sexual assault.
The report also touches on some of the reasons that the problem is both so painful for victims, and also hard to fix. First, there is no single person in charge. People at the U. S, Antarctic bases work for many different employers - universities and national labs in multiple countries, one of multiple logistical contractors, the U. S. Air Force and the New York National Guard, to name a few. It can be difficult to figure out who someone works for, much less how to complain to their employer. People also come from a variety of backgrounds - scientists are in the minority.
Second, it is very isolated, both physically and psychologically. Communications bandwidth (both phone and internet) is very limited, and most workers at McMurdo station have limited access to the outside world. So, even if there was a clear address to complain to, it would not be easy to do so. And, it would be almost impossible for any outside agency to investigate happenings in Antarctica. And, even when there is access, the rest of the world is so distant, and engagement doesn't seem important.
Third, there is a significant gender imbalance. This is partly (but only partly) a self-perpetuating complication, since the toxic atmosphere in Antarctica discourages many women from applying for jobs there, worsening the imbalance.
The problem of reporting, at least, has a fairly simple solution. There needs to be offices, in McMurdo, and some of the other large bases, where people can report problems, which will then be investigated by people who are stationed there. The NSF cannot fire people directly, but they should be able to quickly remove people from Antarctica when needed. This will not solve every problem - it may not be practical to have relevant offices in small field camps, but there hopefully the camp managers should be on top of things (unless they are unfortunately part of the problem). The U. S. military may be another issue - I do not have any clear knowledge that they are part of the problem, but they are clearly a law unto themselves, and military personnel were not allowed to participate in the survey until it was too late. Still, this would provide a clear reporting path for 90% of the problems.
Such a reporting system would pay significant dividends beyond reducing the amount of sexual harassment and assault. Improving the atmosphere would increase the applicant pool for Antarctic jobs, and should lead to a better work force, and, hopefully, a happier one.
From what I can see, the NSF took the report seriously. And, many of the groups that send people to Antarctica (IceCube included) are also making changes. Unfortunately, so far, changes have been limited. A recent Ars Technical article discusses some of the changes - including a confidential advocate that victims can talk to - but clearly more drastic changes are needed.
