Female scientists conducting field research are under
threat — and often from their own team.
What do you think about the idea that female scientists need to protect themselves from assault while doing field research? Does anyone want to talk about this issue in person?
I wonder if this is a problem in science or just a problem in general. Women, regardless of workplace, are being violated in more ways than we know. I don't think it's just because female scientists aren't fully accepted. I think that is part of the problem, don't get me wrong, but not the whole problem. I believe the same issues would occur in businesses and anywhere else. The problem is that females are being taken advantage of. Women shouldn't have these fears these days. All men and women are equal, right? Apparently not. And that is where I think the issues lies. It's still a mans world out there.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is not only a problem in science but rather in all fields of work.
DeleteI agree it is a problem but I think its a problem in all work feilds not just in science. Also i think that some jobs women cant do them as well as men and men not as well as women. jobs that require lifting heavy things would probbaly be a job that most women would not be able to do and men can. For example "two guys and a truck" moving company. it says two guys and a truck not maybe a guy and a girl and a truck. The company wouldnt deny someone just because they are female but if they cant complete the things that they have to do they will hire someone that can.
DeleteI feel like this is completely wrong that the women scientists have to worry about their safety in a place you should feel home. You are suppose to be comfortable at work and have the feeling that you can do what you need to do and be safe. Yet, some men do feel threatened by women that are successful and will do whatever they can to try and scare them off. So with this, I am not surprised to hear that women are being threatened by their own team members. Some men are truly animals and need to be tamed. (Ooooooooo bars haha). And I think this is a issue that should be talked about in person.
ReplyDeleteI think this is very disturbing. People should be able to feel comfortable in their workplace, wherever that might be at. People shouldn't have to look over their shoulder and worry about being sexually assaulted at work.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of having to watch for such a thing as assault in the workplace is crazy to me. I realize that women can become easy targets when alone in a foreign country but I would never think that a women would have to be cautious of people on their own team, the people that are supposed to be on your side, not against you. The victim of an injustice like this would unlikely want to talk about the issue in person because it may be embarrassing for them, especially if it was due to a coworker. Just as the author of this article had kept her story untold, so will many others because it is a confusing situation in which a women may fear there is no help for.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this problem goes beyond the workplace entirely. It is not only female scientists being assaulted doing field research, but women all over the world. It just so happens that these women are in foreign and new places, where they are even more uncomfortable than usual. To think that these women are being assaulted by coworkers is sickening, but the harsh reality. It seems to be most common that women or men are being harassed and assaulted by people they know rather than strangers. These stories continue to go untold due to the feelings of embarrassment or some feelings of guilt. But it needs to be heard, that all women and men need to be cautious and aware of their surroundings, whether you feel safe or not, in your workplace, field study, or even in your own community.
ReplyDeleteI think that you raise an interesting point. Feelings of guilt can often plague the victims, but I think we as a society need to reinforce (in their mind) that it wasn't their fault that they were sexually assaulted. They weren't "asking for it" or "leading them on" as some would wrongly claim. If we can show those affected by sexual assault that they didn't cause their assailant to attack them, then we can encourage a dialogue and start the healing process.
DeleteI feel that this issue is completely wrong and very disturbing on all aspects. After reading this article I was at a lost for words. It is wrong knowing that women out in the workplace are being assaulted. How is somebody supposed to go to work knowing that they have to watch their back at all times? Like Josh said, work is supposed to be a comfortable and pleasant environment. I think that this problem is not just occurring in the field of science but everywhere in the workplace. Too many women are getting taken advantage of and it's not right. After reading this article and finding out the she was assaulted by a coworker is even more mind blowing. It just shows that there are people out there that are sick minded and have no heart.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the comments above. No one should have to look over their shoulder in the workplace or in the field. I think the whole idea of women equality in the workplace is something that needs to be reevaluated altogether. Company's should have outlets for their workers to report activity like this as well. I came across a news story that shows women equality in the workplace still has a ways to go and think it would make for good class discussion. Here's the link: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/microsoft-ceo-says-women-shouldnt-ask-for-raises-will-99592191369.html
ReplyDeleteI really liked the article because it showed that often we assume a broken system is just and forgo challenging it. Even if we know that there are discrepancies in the treatment of individuals, we may blindly have faith that it will correct itself over time. This is simply not the case. Not all systems treat people fairly and, as such, there is a need to speak out. The push for reform starts with the people and it is our duty to cry foul whenever we see people being mistreated.
DeleteThis can be applied to the article above, because we cannot expect the misogyny, sexism, and assault to just go away on its own. We must stand as a united voice, speaking out against these fundamental violations of human rights and assaults on human dignity. Only then can we usher in a new age of equality where people do not have to live in fear of being mistreated.
I think the problem with a lot of societal issues like this one is that people are afraid to talk about them because they make us feel uncomfortable. If more people speak out and tell their story, like Ms. Jahren did in the article, it would help to raise awareness of the magnitude of this problem. As awareness is raised, we can move towards better educating people on both sides of the situation. Both men and women need to be aware of the implications of sexual assault and know how to prevent it from happening.
ReplyDeleteCorey, you raise a good point about more people speaking up to raise awareness. The more attention we put towards sexual assault, the better chance we have of preventing it from happening.
DeleteThis issue was very disturbing to me, I did not know this was a problem for female scientists. For a woman to not feel place at her work place is an issue in all fields I believe but is more prevalent in science. Women always have the problem of being harassed no matter what there doing. The example in the article was not as surprising to hear, American women are always targeted in foreign countries, but for women scientists to be targeted from male coworkers is completely wrong. I compare this to women being targeted in the military, and once these women are assaulted it is hard for them to come up an say something because it is usually there leaders in the field committing the crime. These women are really put in a difficult spot, a solution needs to be found as fast as possible before more women are assaulted.
ReplyDeleteThough every individual case of sexual assault is an atrocity, violating the dignity of the human person and treating them as a means rather than an end, what’s truly horrifying about this article is the staggering percentage of female field scientists who are sexually assaulted in the field. Twenty-six percent means that one-out-of-four women going about their duties as field scientists will be assaulted, most likely by a senior, male colleague. This is why it is critical that awareness be raised to this blatant disregard of human dignity in hopes that future aggressions can be prevented. In order to do this, however, the proper resources must be made available to the victims so that they can talk about their experience and begin to heal. This requires a lot of encouragement and support from the scientific community, who should stop treating the issue as their dark secret (the proverbial ‘skeleton in the closet’) and acknowledge what’s truly going on.
ReplyDeleteTo all the male scientists in the field, it’s time to man-up. Showing dominance over another person is not what being a man is about. In fact, it makes you less than a man, or less than human, for that matter. Even if you are not the one committing the heinous act, you still have the responsibility to make it known to all your peers that such actions are not tolerated. We unfortunately live in a rape culture that takes advantage of our silence. Well no more. Change can come if we help to usher it in. We, as individuals, just have to be willing to take the first step and speak out, letting it be known that we won’t stand to see anyone else be sexually assaulted in the field ever again.
Its hard to think about this kind of issue at our age and not many of us being in our careers quite yet. I can't imagine working on a stressful project at work and then on top of that having to worry about their team looking down on them. It would make me worry more than i already should be and can cause very crucial errors. No one should have to go through this. This would be something very hard to come out and say because many people think this issue is long over with and that many people will feel like they won't be taken seriously if they make it public or even believed in general. This is definitely something that needs to be put into more focus and this shouldn't be a problem for anyone no matter who they are.
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