Women on board the Homeward Bound expedition in 2016. Photo / Supplied
Women on board the Homeward Bound expedition in 2016. Photo / Supplied
When 76 women scientists boarded a ship to Antarctica in the hopes of completing a transformative course on leadership, the last thing they expected was for one of them to later go public with allegations of rape.
Even in what was supposed to be a safe space for women, one of the most serious issues facing women in the workplace - alleged harassment and assault - emerged.
The inaugural Homeward Bound voyage in 2016 aimed to empower female scientists, many of whom had experienced sexism and workplace harassment, to become "the sort of leaders they want to be".
Australian women made up the majority of scientists on board, along with four from New Zealand, and 19 from the US, UK, Costa Rica and Canada.
But this story of empowerment and optimism was brought quickly back down to Earth, with documentary film The Leadership capturing criticism of the program as the days wore on, and most shockingly, allegations of sexual assault on the last night of the trip.
In claims first reported in a 2018 Grist article published after the trip, one woman alleged she had woken naked with a male crew member "having no memory of what had happened".
She had previously rejected advances by the crew member, she alleged. On the last night of the journey they had been drinking and partying.
He later confirmed in Facebook messages they had sex, which she alleged she was in no condition to consent to.
The article also revealed several women had complained of an "inappropriate dynamic" with crew members, who they say placed bets on who they could sleep with and discussed whether women scientists would be "f***able".
The emergence of such allegations were even more shocking due to the fact that they had happened while the scientists were on a women-only trip.
Tasmania University Associate Professor in sociology Meredith Nash was on board as an observer on the expedition and said many on board were already vulnerable as they had been working in male-dominated fields, which wasn't taken into account when managing people's emotions and expectations.
"There is an assumption that if you have all women in a room that it will be a safe space but that obviously wasn't the case on the voyage — it didn't feel like a safe space for a lot of people," she said.
Homeward Bound founder and Melbourne entrepreneur Fabian Dattner told news.com.au the expedition highlighted the challenges women faced in the workforce.
"It's not a complex story, it's not straightforward," she said.
"Abuse is part of that story, it happened even on our ship, even without us knowing, and it is part of our world story," she said.
"The idea of anyone being assaulted or hurt is abhorrent and we continue to do everything in our power to elevate the visibility of, and caring for, and protecting this community."
Tasmania University Associate Professor in sociology Meredith Nash appears in The Leadership documentary.
Dattner's own leadership was also put under scrutiny, with some on the ship critical of the way she handled feedback.
She said her first reaction to seeing the film - which is now available to stream on DocPlay, iTunes, GooglePlay, Foxtel Rental Store and other players - was "oh my God, am I really like that?".
She doesn't think the film does justice to the many people involved in facilitating the trip or the incredible "celebration" of the expedition and what it achieved.
"But that doesn't matter, what matters is that a very important story is told and I have the courage as a leader to say I could have done it better and been more what they needed from me at times," she said.
"It rightly amplifies some very important messaging that our world needs to hear."
Dattner said if she had not taken the feedback on board, it would have made a mockery of what the programme was trying to achieve. The programme has since been revamped and another four Homeward Bound trips have been taken, with no further incidents of harassment or abuse reported. The women selected for the sixth and seventh expeditions are hoping to sail in March or November next year, Covid permitting.
"In the end the proof is that we kept going and 80 (women) became 800," Dattner said.
"We are a very different organisation and thousands of hours have been given to elevate women from a STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) background."
However, Nash said she wasn't surprised that some issues emerged during the journey as she initially wasn't sure how the programme was going to navigate questions of STEMM and gender.
"But I was surprised, I mean none of us expected women to be sexually harassed on the ship. I think that was a really eye-opening experience," she said.
The women apparently weren't told how to report incidents of misconduct, although some were later informed they could have made complaints to the ship's captain.
The woman who was allegedly raped did not inform Dattner and later went to the media with her complaint.
Nash said it was unfortunate that many women felt they needed to go to the media in order for their complaints to get the attention they deserved.
Brittany Higgins. Photo / Supplied
"The reason people don't come forward is that they are worried it will affect their career, their reputation, people won't believe them, and in the end nothing will happen to the perpetrator."
For women like Brittany Higgins, who alleges a former Australian Liberal staffer raped her at Parliament House, and Australian of the Year Grace Tame, who was groomed and raped by her high school teacher, media attention is the only way they feel they will be heard.
"And it's working," Nash said.
"We talk about them being courageous but it's so sad that they've had to put their personal lives on the line.
"Ms Higgins' partner quit his job and there are all sorts of consequences for the individuals involved - that's not how it should be."
Nash said that she wasn't surprised senior female ministers who dealt with Higgins' initial complaints appeared to have taken a more "masculine" approach to the situation.
"When you're the only woman in a male-dominated environment, you are taught to act like men to succeed, not to be emotional," she said.
"It's hard to be authentic when you are a woman in a male dominated field."
She said the problem was the structure itself that put women under pressure to act feminine, to be soft and caring, but also to act like men.
"Maybe the ministers in the situation didn't do the right thing but you have to acknowledge the structure that has put these people in very difficult situations."
In the case of sexual assault, Nash said there needed to be better structures to make it easier for people to report incidents, but what was really needed was a change of culture.
At the moment the responsibility is still on the person to make a complaint, which puts the onus on the individual.
"That's not fair," Nash said. "It's the male dominated culture that's toxic to women that needs to change.
"We should make it safer for a range of people to be included in that environment."
This requires long term focus on the kind of workplace young people are being brought into.
"It's not up to young women to ensure their own safety at work," Nash said.
"Step one is a mind change shift."
Nash said leadership programmes like Homeward Bound were important because they gave women the time and space to reflect on themselves, away from the office and to be with other women with shared concerns. However, it could not be the only strategy.
"It can't just be up to the women to fix the problems," she said.
Homeward Bound founder Dattner said she had also learned much from the programme, despite having 35 years of experience in facilitating change.
This includes that she needed to avoid generalisations when working with scientists, that she should ask people if they want to be hugged as not everyone does, and to be conscious of cultural differences.
"To genuinely be a role model of collaborative, legacy-minded, inclusive leadership, you must become that leader and that means being aware of your own racism and your own stereotyping," she said.
Where to get help:
• If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. • If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on: 0800 044 334 or text 4334. (available 24/7) • Male Survivors Aotearoa offers a range of confidential support at centres across New Zealand - find your closest one here. • Mosaic - Tiaki Tangata: 0800 94 22 94 (available 11am - 8pm) • Alternatively contact your local police station • If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.
