Program Practices and Characteristics that Enable Sexism to Persist in Geology Field Programs

Abstract:

Many geology programs require students to complete a multi-week field experience before they graduate. Although these programs may increase student knowledge and skills, research suggests that female students can encounter sexism in these settings. Using faculty and students interview and questionnaire data from seven field programs, we examined the following questions: What types of sexism are encountered by students during multi-week geology field programs? What program practices and characteristics enable sexism to persist?

Faculty and students reported sexist jokes and comments, differential treatment of women, and physical sexual harassment occurring in their field programs. All types of sexism were reported as accepted, frequently occurring, and typical in the programs. Several practices and characteristics enabled sexism to persist in the field programs. First, a culture of accepting sexism existed within the programs except for extremely hostile forms of sexism (e.g., sexual assault). Almost none of the experiences encountered by students were reported to faculty and almost none of the experiences that faculty were aware of were reported to university officials. Acceptance and lack of intervention, even for more subtle forms of sexism, enable sexism to be viewed as a typical aspect of field programs. Second, the remote settings of traditional field programs enabled differential experiences for women. For example, women were uncomfortable with the lack of privacy for going to the bathroom. Third, traditional field programs blend formal academic and informal contexts. During the day students work on academic projects and in the evenings they socialize and drink together. This blending makes the boundaries unclear for what behaviors are appropriate in each context. Finally, sexism was enabled because there were no official program guidelines about behaviors, there were rules and guidelines but no training about them, or there were rules, guidelines, and training but the guidelines were not followed. In the absence of systematic and structural changes to promote inclusive environments and reduce exclusive practices, sexism persists and students and faculty members are left to navigate sexism individually.