Network Session – Creating supportive fieldwork environments in marine sciences

Fieldwork situations can act as mesocosms of the issues of discrimination in the workplace. Our experiences can differ largely in relation to the intersection of our identities (e.g., gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation etc.). Society and work environments expose us differently to discrimination in its variety of forms, going from stereotyped bias and prejudice to verbal, physical and/or sexual harassment and violence. Fieldwork situations, in particular, can act as concentrated mesocosms of these universal and pervasive issues. Considering the prevalence of these issues, we need supportive systems for when science participants are at their most vulnerable.

In this network session, we addressed the issue of discrimination in the context of fieldwork in marine science. We wanted to give the opportunity to share experience, build connections, and share national approaches put in place that aim at preventing discrimination at sea and in the field. As the feeling of being alone acts as a core barrier for people to tackle these issues in their working environments, we considered a network session to connect with each other.

The main desired output of this session was to empower marine scientists to make positive changes by forming a network of peers passionate about creating supportive work environments.