Safety in Field and Ocean Sciences: Best Practices for Preventing and
Responding to Harassment in Remote Research Settings
Abstract
Sexual harassment in STEM continues to be a pervasive barrier to women’s
full participation in the sciences. Many studies conclude that workplace
culture and lack of clear policies and practices exacerbate the risks of
sexual harassment. Remote research environments, such as field stations
and ocean platforms, bring additional risk to researchers. Participants
already face acute safety concerns related to the remoteness of the
field station or oceanographic vessels, fewer and less clear policies
and enforcement regulations are in place, and multiple institutions bear
responsibility, leading to a challenging environment for preventing and
handling incidents. This workshop explored the factors that permit
sexual harassment in remote research, and aimed to develop practices to
prevent and respond to harassment in the field. The California State
University Desert Studies Center and the Center for Ocean Leadership
convened workshop in March, 2021 to address sexual harassment in field
science. Over three days, field and ocean science leadership and
practitioners came together with leadership from professional societies
and academia, and experts in sociology, policy, and social justice. The
goals were to: 1) open a dialogue between sexual harassment experts and
the field research community to develop best practices and
recommendations; 2) build coordination and consistency in policy setting
and enforcement across field stations and oceanographic platforms; 3)
develop processes to monitor the reporting of sexual harassment
instances occurring at remote field locations; and 4) promote a safe
culture for scientists conducting research at remote field stations and
on oceanographic vessels. The workshop compiled and developed best
practices and recommendations in four key areas: 1) culture change, 2)
policy, 3) accountability, and 4) reporting. These recommendations were
targeted at all facets of field and ocean sciences, from academic and
research institutions, professional societies, and funding agencies, to
departments and field research crews. Here we will give an overview of
the workshop findings, with particular focus on the recommendations for
research leadership.