Female expeditioners have described predatory and objectifying behaviour at Australia's Antarctic research stations and widespread sexual harassment amid a "blokey" culture.
A review commissioned by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) into station culture heard from women who said they had to "practically conceal" periods and improvise menstrual products when none were available.
Women described changing menstrual products without privacy or adequate sanitation, having to carrying bloody products in the field and altering their hormonal balance with medications to make menstruation less inconvenient.
The study, by University of Tasmania professor Meredith Nash, conducted in-depth interviews with 22 AAD employees and held informal conversations with dozens more.
"Whilst women in this study found a range of ways to individually cope, the more concerning issue is that people who menstruate feel compelled to uphold a male-dominated field culture in which menstruation is concealed and controlled to meet masculine cultural norms," the summary report reads.
AAD director Kim Ellis said he was deeply concerned by the findings, saying "significant progress" had already been made on implementing more than 40 recommendations.
"It doesn't matter how many people may have experienced this behaviour - we know that under-reporting is almost certainly a factor - the fact anyone at all experiences this treatment is not okay," he said in a statement.
Women overwhelmingly described Antarctic research stations as "blokey", with a permeating culture of widespread, low-level sexual harassment.
"Given the under-representation of women ... (especially during winter) some women also described the culture as 'predatory' and objectifying," the study reads.
Participants observed that women experienced a range of harassment including uninvited physical contact or gestures, unwelcome requests for sex, sexual comments, jokes or innuendo, intrusive questions, displays of offensive or pornographic material and sex-based insults or taunts and unwanted invitations.
Participants also described a homophobic culture on research stations.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she was shocked and disappointed when she read people's experiences, pledging an overhaul of culture.
"As a minister, I take a zero-tolerance response to sexual harassment in any workplace I am responsible for," she told the ABC.
"I was actually gobsmacked to read some of the reports here talking about pornographic material up on the walls (because) I really did think that we had eradicated this (type of) thing ... decades ago."
All recommendations have been accepted by the AAD, which maintains three permanently manned stations on the frozen continent.
They include the creation of an equity and inclusion task force and the setting of targets to increase diversity among expeditioners.
