Thread by @danihpayne

Today I presented our poster 'How can we make fieldwork safer?' at @FassmC #FASSM - a (brief) summary of research that has come out of my dissertation on sexual misconduct during fieldwork, and the specific risk-factors involved.

Here are our results as a thread...

The study took the form of a survey open internationally to archaeologists & anthropologists. The survey asked questions on: 1) the demographics of the respondent, 2) their most recent fieldwork experience, 3) their most recent experience of misconduct (if they'd experienced it).

Our first research question was: whilst recent studies have shown that misconduct occurs at high rates during fieldwork, why is this? Are there any specific environmental or social variables that might explain or predict this? If so, how can this inform policy?

We took the data from the survey which asked about the specific environmental and social variables on their most recent fieldwork site (e.g. length, abroad/not abroad, gender of PI, etc) and compared that to whether or not they had experienced misconduct on that site.

We found that the best predictive model for the occurrence of sexual misconduct during fieldwork from our data was the length of the fieldwork + the policies and procedures. Importantly, it specifically mattered if they knew of policies *before* arriving on site.

Our second research question asked whether individuals who identified as part of a traditionally marginalised group experienced higher rates of sexual misconduct in line with studies from workplaces generally.

We found that non-male and non-heterosexual respondents were significantly more likely to have experienced sexual misconduct.

% of those who had experienced misconduct...

Men: 14.8%
Women: 33.6%
Non-binary: 100%
Heterosexual: 23.1%
Non-heterosexual: 42.4%

Whilst our other results were not statistically significant and our sample sizes were small, it is important to note that 43.5% of disabled respondents experienced sexual misconduct, as had 23.5% of those who identified as an ethnic minority.

Our third research question asked what respondents perceive to be important in ensuring fieldwork safety. Results: policies, procedures, reporting and alcohol.

From this we conclude that:

1) Fieldwork is a LOW-RISK environment for perpetrators re: lack of consequences, but that this can be mitigated with policies and procedures. This is esp important as the length of FW increases.

2) It is a HIGH-RISK enviro for marginalised groups.

Finally, we would like to thank Dr Tiffany Page, Dr Dacia Viejo Rose, all 300 of the respondents, and @FassmC for allowing us this opportunity to present our research!