More challenging for women
THE landscape for women in wildlife conservation is harsh. Not only do women have to prove that they are tough enough for the physical challenges in conservation – being out in the field for weeks on end doing research and data collection – they often also have to fend off the threat of harassment in a male-dominated field.
On her first field assignment to the Krau Wildlife Sanctuary in Pahang more than a decade ago, wildlife researcher June Rubis remembers how vulnerable she was, living on her own in a run-down cabin at a field station. The only other people around her were the park rangers, all of whom were male.
At the time, it didn’t occur to Rubis that she was putting herself at risk: she just wanted to prove her worth out on the field to her boss who was clearly testing her mettle.
“I was naive at the time and didn’t think about how dangerous it was. Looking back now, it really wasn’t the best idea for a young female in her 20s to be out there on her own. It was dangerous. I came accross hunters who enquired if I was on my own. Thankfully, instincts kicked in and I assured them I wasn’t alone,” shares Rubis.
Harassment is a huge issue for female conservationists working in the field. Earlier this year, several WWF-Malaysia ex-staffers had highlighted how the organisation failed to deal with allegations of sexual harassment complaints and which had instead been “swept under the carpet”. The conservation group said that it had taken measures to improve the handling of allegations of harassment and abuse in the future.
Rubis has faced harassments on the job which has left her fearing for her safety and also affected her abililty to carry out her work.
“When I was in Kalimantan, men who had authority over me used to message me late at night and it was hard to respond and also ignore their messages. It definitely had a negative impact on my job.
“I was also harassed by a married policeman who would come to the house where I was staying and urge me to run away with him. He’d tell me that he knew my every movement and at the time, I didn’t have any training or experience to help me deal with such harassment. I eventually had to leave,” she shares.
Although the threat of harassment is real, Rubis doesn’t think it should stop women from venturing into the field. Rather, she hopes that conservation groups support their female workforce and empower them to deal with and report such harassment.
“Harassment may be one reason women avoid going to the field or why some choose to affect a more masculine appearance.
“But this should not be an excuse for non-government organisations or institutions not to hire women in the field. Rather, they must be more mindful of having a gender balance in their workforce and provide appropriate support for women in the field,” says Rubis. –