JAMES N. writes:

This article about an “all-female Antartica expedition” ran in the UK, Ireland, and Australian mass media today. The events described in the article are only tangentially related to reality.

They are going in late Spring/early Summer (naturally). They are going by ship, not flying. They will “set sail from Argentina”, even though their group is gathering in Australia. This means they are going to the coast, not the interior. The closest part of Antarctica to Argentina is the Antarctic peninsula, which reaches all the way up to 62 degrees south longitude. The weather forecast for December 2 (the day they leave) at that location is for a low of 32F, so the “subzero temperatures” they are braving will be (at most) in the high 20s Farenheit, possibly as low as –2 Celsius.

And, best of all (according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), “once they arrive, they will spend 20 days at sea carrying out important scientific work”, in other words, they aren’t even spending a night on land, not land even at 62 degrees south.

The ship, no doubt, will have an all male crew.

There are thousands of girls, maybe more, who, reading this, will imagine that these women are repeating the exploits of the great polar explorers, spending hundreds of days on foot under life-threatening cold and wind, with primitive survival equipment, which feats they have hitherto been denied because of “sexism.”

Laura writes:

This isn’t polar exploration or even scientifically significant. The articles are somewhat misleading; it’s primary purpose is “strategic leadership” training for the women involved. Nowhere in the project description does it mention scientifically important work. The project is funded by a corporate consulting company and is called “Homeward Bound.” (Huh?)

“The 76 women selected are from around the world and include: astronomers, engineers, physicists, science communicators, Antarctic and Arctic specialists, doctors and social scientists.”

They will be trained to advocate for climate change (i.e., global governance) and become more effective leaders. They say the climate even discriminates against women.

Here are some of the other sponsors of the expedition:

MHS – is a leading publisher of psychological assessments in the areas of ADHD, offender management, and emotional intelligence.

We thank MHS for the donation of the MSCEIT assessment (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test) to Homeward Bound participants.
W: mhs.com

Evidence Based Psychology – help organizations harness the power of people by taking on the tricky stuff: emotions, beliefs, and behaviors. Their boutique consulting style is personal, connective and rooted in science. We thrive at the nexus of psychology and business, working to uncover potential and bring out the best in you and your people.

We thank Evidence Based Psychology for looking after the MSCEIT testing process and for engaging with their accredited coaches to donate coaching to participants.

W: evidencebasedpsychology.com

Anyway, the expedition will be led by a man.

— Comments —

Lydia Sherman writes:

These women have got to be crisis actors. They are not entirely in costume. Note the sandals and fake Antarctic background. And why isn’t the group of mixed heritage?

Laura writes:

The news stories are very misleading.

This is more of a corporate junket than it is a scientific expedition.

It includes “science communicators,” i.e., those who work in P.R., and social scientists, i.e., those who have no serious scientific interest in Antarctica.

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