In an awesome display of women power, 78 female scientists are heading off on a 20-day voyage to Antarctica in order to observe and discuss the impacts of a warming world.
The voyage is part of the Homeward Bound outreach initiative, which will take place over 10 years in order to build a team of 1000 women in science. Their collaboration will enable for increased leadership, strategizing and group action when it comes creating a better future for the planet.
The voyage, setting off in December 2016, will have a crew that will include globally recognised women of influence including Dr Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist and environmental activist.
The project is the brainchild of Australian leadership expert Fabian Dattner and marine ecologist of the Australian Antarctic Division Dr. Jess Melbourne-Thomas. Their dream of uniting powerful women in science and engineering was inspired by the ability of women to have huge influence within their communities.
A key focus will be the absence of women’s voices in science and government, especially when it comes to climate change. There is also a visible absence of women in key decision-making roles around the world, which is posing a challenge to gender equality and collaborative action on issues such as global warming.
According to the Homeward Bound, website the project aims to:
• Elevate the role of women in leadership globally
• Clearly demonstrate how polar science tells us what is happening with the planet
• Explore how women at the leadership table might give us a more sustainable future
Women are underrepresented globally in leadership positions and change has been incredibly slow in recent decades, despite increasing dialogue and process/systems changes. This under-representation comes at a time when women leaders could be making a tangible difference in contributing to a more sustainable world. They are the back bone of the not-for-profit, disability, and education sectors.
They are emerging in all universities as significant percentages of graduates, they take up significant percentages of our workforce, and they provide the most unpaid community work. They do most of the work in our homes. They are more trustworthy with money and they excel at all but 4 of 16 well researched leadership capabilities.
And they are in a profound minority globally in executive decision making roles which shape our future.
–Homeward Bound organizer Fabian Dattner
The 1 Million Women blog asks: What will your climate legacy be?
Source: 1MillionWomen.com.au
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