1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,519 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff Mob Never told you. From how Supports 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: dot com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Kristen 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: and I'm Caroline, and today we continue our Women Explorer 4 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: series and for this one, we are going to Antarctica. 5 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: It's real cold. It's so cold, but I felt like 6 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: it was appropriate since this is a summer podcast series, 7 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: so if it's heating up where you are, we're gonna 8 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: cool down with some information on women exploring Antarctica, or 9 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: at least trying to actually first asking if they could 10 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: and then being told they couldn't, but then they do. 11 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: And I just gotta tell you, Caroline that before coming 12 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: into the studio to record this podcast, I was looking 13 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: at our notes for this episode and all I could 14 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: think of was Led Zeppelin's Immigrant song, you know, the 15 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: one that starts off like we come from the land 16 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: of the Ice and sell, And that's my Zeppelin impression. Yeah. 17 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: I can hear the guitars in my head right now 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: when the midnight sun and the hot springs flow, but 19 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: there are no hot springs and Antarctica. No, they weren't 20 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: talking about Antarctica, but it just felt, um, it felt appropriate, 21 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: and also I wish that that opening guitar riff could 22 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: be the intro to our podcast, just to make it 23 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: a little more radical. Why is Robert Plant so selfish? 24 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know. Um, So first of all, 25 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: let's just orient ourselves geographically, because I'm not gonna lie listeners. 26 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: I needed a little bit of a refresher. So Antarctica, 27 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: f y, I we're talking about the Self Pole, and 28 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: it's essentially a continent covered by a massive ice shelf. 29 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: And fun fact, polar bears and penguins never hang out 30 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: together because I know, right, because polar bear are exclusive 31 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: to the Arctic in the North Pole, whereas penguins hanging 32 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: out in Antarctica. So that just like destroyed some some 33 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: fantasies I have about animals, about animal friends. Not yes, 34 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: animal friends, nothing sexual, God, but they hang out with 35 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: seals and walrus is right cool, That's that's fine, Yeah, 36 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,799 Speaker 1: they got cool, cool things to do. And one other 37 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: geographical note is that Antarctica and the Arctic are really 38 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: not very similar at all when it comes to traversing them. 39 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: This was something that explorer Rosie Stancer was describing, um 40 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: because she has trecked both of them because she is 41 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: a tough woman. She says, they're incomparable. They're like little 42 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: sister and big sister. Antarctica is huge and vast and 43 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: it's a big endurance challenge, whereas the Arctic is much 44 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: more precious, cruel, whimsical, and unpredictable. You don't know from 45 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 1: one day to the next what challenges are going to 46 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: be that day. So let's go to the big sister. 47 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: Let's head to the huge and vast endurance challenge that 48 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: is Antarctica, which is sort of a geographical metaphor for 49 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: women trying to explore Antarctica. Yeah. Um, and it's interesting 50 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: too to think about why you would want to go 51 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,359 Speaker 1: there because it is so cold, and if you are 52 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: an explorer who is or was going to Antarctica, you 53 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: were risking a lot, mainly your life, but also some 54 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: toes because traveling there meant risking frostbite, exhaustion, snowblindness because 55 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: you know it's all white and you've got the sun 56 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: bouncing off of it, so then you've also got your 57 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: snowblind and then your sun burned, and then because you 58 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: can't see, you can fall into a crevasse through the ice. 59 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: And so why would anyone ever go there, well, because 60 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: it's incredible. I mean, that's one thing that you take 61 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: away from almost anyone who has written about going to Antarctica. 62 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: It's like once you once you go to Antarctica, it 63 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: just captivates you. It sucks you in and you they 64 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: I don't know that I've read of anyone who ultimately 65 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: didn't want to go back, except perhaps some of the 66 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,799 Speaker 1: earlier explorers who were wearing a lot of wool because 67 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: they didn't have high tech gear from ari I and 68 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: other outposts. Um so they would wear wool, which meant 69 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: that they had to constantly keep moving because if they 70 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: stayed still too long, the moisture that the wool would 71 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: collect within freeze. Really inconvenient, so inconvenient, but so exciting. 72 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 1: I mean, to go to a land. Antarctica is the 73 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: one place where no one had been before. It's not 74 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: like going into you know, when when Europeans first you know, 75 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 1: came across the ocean and we're like, oh, here's other 76 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: people living here in Central America. We're just going to 77 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 1: claim it. Also it's not named Central America yet. But 78 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: with Antarctica, it was completely deserted, no one was there, 79 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: So what an alluring place to go, and so no 80 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: surprise that nineteen hundred to nine is known as the 81 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: Heroic Era of the Antarctic Explorer, Right, So, I mean 82 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: it's it's the unexplored, mysterious land. It's it's something that 83 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: no one has discovered yet. They know it's there, but 84 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: they don't know is it one continent? Is it one 85 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 1: sheet device? Are there? Are their polar bears and unicorns? 86 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 1: They're like, we have to figure out which animals are 87 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: playing together on this continent. But so in this era, 88 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: the Heroic Era of the Antarctic explore, we end up 89 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: getting sixteen major expeditions from eight different countries. And in 90 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: in the middle of that the early nineteen intends there's 91 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: a race for the South Pole, which was eventually won 92 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: by someone from Norway, which is not that surprising. Raoul Amondson, 93 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: who reached it in December nineteen eleven. Yeah, he pulled 94 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: a switcher rou actually in order to accomplish this, he 95 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,839 Speaker 1: told everybody that he was heading to the North Pole. 96 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: But people had already been to the North Pole, so 97 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: he wouldn't have been the first. And so once he 98 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:24,720 Speaker 1: found out, he was like, Hotel no One, we are 99 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: going to the South Pole, and so he got a 100 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: head start and reached it first. But then in nine 101 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: sort of in true explorer hero form, he actually died 102 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 1: in a plane crash in the Arctic Ocean. But he 103 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: always said that he wanted to when he died, he 104 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 1: wanted to die in Antarctica. So he sort of he 105 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: kind of got his wish. I mean, he died in 106 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: a very cold place, very cold place. Yes, it was 107 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: a chilly plunge. But so if all of these heroic 108 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: explorations are going on, I mean, women have always been 109 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: outside in terms of exploration. You know, they're not given 110 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 1: the proper training, the proper funding, the proper education. They're 111 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: not allowed in the geographical societies. Um, so they've always 112 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: been sort of looking over the edge, like hey, I'd 113 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: like to come to you know. And it makes sense 114 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: because these men are achieving this this fame, this glory, 115 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: this heroism, and they want to be a part of it. Well, 116 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: and there was polar fever because obviously this race for 117 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: the polls was highly publicized. It was very exciting. This 118 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 1: was like, you know, we now have things like a 119 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: reality show called the Great Race. There were actual Great 120 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: races taking place at the time, and so plenty of 121 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: people wanted to join up, including some women. And there 122 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: was actually a nineteen fourteen letter that some women wrote 123 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: to famed Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, who led three Antarctic expeditions, 124 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,119 Speaker 1: and they were begging to join his voyage. They wrote, 125 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: we have been reading all books and articles that have 126 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: been written on dangerous expeditions by brave men to the 127 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: polar regions, and we don't see why men should have 128 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: all the glory and women none, especially when there are 129 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: women just as brave and capable as there are men, 130 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: to which Shackleton said, um, sorry, not sorry, you're not coming. 131 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: It is funny. I mean, we'll talk. We'll talk more 132 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: about in a minute. But it is so funny to 133 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: read about men's like complete just discussed with the idea 134 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: of women being with them on these Antarctic explorations. Well, 135 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: it was particularly this panic over women being in this 136 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: inhospitable climate, the super cold climate, that we wouldn't be 137 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: able to we just would freak out. I guess, yeah, 138 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: you know, I mean the uterus, if the uterus is 139 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: exposed to too much cold, it'll freeze, It'll freeze and 140 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: then then you've got a solid uterus floating around making 141 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:59,320 Speaker 1: you hysterical and pull you down. Yeah. Yeah, it's like 142 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: the weights that were in Victorian women's dresses to kid 143 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: them weighted down when they swam. History. Everyone, history, but 144 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: women did first arrive in Antarctica in the nineteen thirties. 145 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: So on February five, nineteen thirty one, we have Ingrid Christensen, 146 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: no relation from Norway, who was a thirty eight year 147 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: old mother of six, and her companion Matilda Wegger, who 148 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: were the first women on record two have ever seen Antarctica. 149 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: They didn't get off at that point, they didn't touch down, 150 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: but they saw Antarctica and they were the only reason 151 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 1: they went was because Christensen's husband had the largest deep 152 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 1: sea whaling fleet in the world at the time, and 153 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: so she was able to hop aboard and come along 154 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: for the journey. Meanwhile, though, in Britain, so in our 155 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: last episode, backtracking just for a minute, we talked about 156 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: land explorers, women exploring the lands both near and far, 157 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: and how Britain was really sort of not excited about 158 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: letting women a explore, but be joined their official geographical 159 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: society that would have given women sort of a leg 160 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: up to legitimize them, so to speak. And so yeah, 161 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: at the same time that Kristensen is kind of hanging 162 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 1: out with her husband's wailing fleet and taking a gander 163 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: over the ocean and Antarctica, women in Britain were applying 164 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: to go on these missions and they were all rejected 165 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: and it would take, as we will talk about further, 166 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: a very very long time for British women to be invited, 167 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: to be invited by Britain onto these expeditions. They were 168 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,479 Speaker 1: able to sneak around and kind of go with other expeditions. 169 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: But I don't want to get ahead of ourselves because 170 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: next up we have to talk about Caroline Nicholson. She 171 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: was the first woman to set foot on a island 172 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: just off Antarctica. She's often cited as the first woman 173 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 1: to set foot on the continent of Antarctica, but more 174 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: recent research has found that she was probably she probably 175 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,599 Speaker 1: touched down on Macquarie Island in the sub Antarctic, and 176 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 1: there's a flagpole that still marks the spot. But nonetheless, 177 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: even though she might not have been on the main continent, 178 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: she still touched her feet down on Macquarie Island, and 179 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: for that accomplishment, there's now Mount Caroline Nicholson on Antarctica. Hey, 180 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: she got a mountain named after her. Yeah, but just 181 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 1: two years later January thirtie ny seven h Christensen, Ingrid 182 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: Christiansen who we mentioned just a second ago, and her 183 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: daughter Sophie and two other women become the first to 184 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,959 Speaker 1: set foot on the actual continent. Yeah, but as far 185 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: as I know, no mountains. It didn't get a mountain 186 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: in their name. Um. But then jumping forward ten years, 187 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,120 Speaker 1: because yes, in these early well actually not so early, 188 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: in this period of Antarctic exploration, women, the timeline for 189 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:11,719 Speaker 1: women is a bit scattered because there just aren't many 190 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: who are allowed to go down there, and usually um 191 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: as in the case next up of Edith Throne and 192 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: Jenny Darlington, um, similar to the situation with Ingrid Christensen. 193 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: It thanks to their husbands that they're able to tag along. 194 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: So in we have Edith ron and Jenny Darlington's accompanying 195 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: their husbands becoming the first women to winter on Antarctica. 196 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,320 Speaker 1: And the crew on the ship wasn't necessarily happy about this. 197 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 1: This was a very arduous journey. I mean at one point, uh, 198 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,319 Speaker 1: Jenny and Edith stopped talking to each other because their 199 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: husbands were fighting, and so in loyalty to their husbands, 200 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: they stopped talking to each other for a little bit. 201 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: And uh, but the fact that there were women on 202 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:02,439 Speaker 1: board and also obviously later on Antarctica rubbed a lot 203 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: of men the wrong way because it was just assumed 204 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 1: that they were going to ruin everything. Yeah. Yeah, women, 205 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:14,679 Speaker 1: you know Jenny who's Canadian, her husband equipped after this journey. 206 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 1: It's just that there are some things women don't do. 207 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: They don't become pope or president or go down to 208 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:22,839 Speaker 1: the Antarctic. So well, we're we're down one of those. 209 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: We've been to the Antarctic. Who knows what we're you know, 210 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: we might knock down that president thing pretty soon too, 211 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: who knows, who knows. But so Edith Rone, she's twenty 212 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: eight when she goes down there. She's American. She is 213 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:37,080 Speaker 1: the first American woman to set foot on the continent. 214 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,679 Speaker 1: And she worked to help the seismologist aboard who was 215 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: keeping track of the tides. And so Edith helped the 216 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:48,679 Speaker 1: seismologists do all that stuff and served as the trips historian. Yeah, 217 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: and also in recognition of her first as the first 218 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 1: American woman, she the rone Ice Shelf is named after her. 219 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: And it was interesting because after she comes back from 220 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: this trip, she initially just wants to distance herself as 221 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: much as possible from it because it was a harrowing experience. 222 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: It was very difficult, there was a lot of infighting. Obviously, 223 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: it was cold, and I think it wasn't until the 224 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: nineteen nineties that she even revisited the diaries that she 225 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,640 Speaker 1: kept during that trip because it was so tough and 226 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: she didn't want to go back. But the allure of 227 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: Antarctica is strong, folks, because even though initially she was like, 228 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: I never want to go back again, that was terrible, 229 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,480 Speaker 1: she went back three times and made a name for 230 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:45,680 Speaker 1: herself going around and lecturing about Antarctica and about you know, 231 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: the significance of her being a woman there. And she 232 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: eventually became president of the Society of Women Geographers as 233 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: well as a member of the Explorers Club. Remember not 234 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: gender desegregated until and she was also a member of 235 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: the American Polar Society. And that expedition, that first expedition 236 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: in was significant because it proved that Antarctica was in 237 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: fact all one continent. Yeah, with penguin, with penguins, but 238 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: no polar beus. Let's cute. What's important? It is important. 239 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: But despite this, women were still not being taken seriously 240 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: as Antarctic explorers. This was a huge obstacle for them, 241 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 1: much as it was an obstacle in any type of 242 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 1: exploration that women wanted to pursue. They just weren't taken seriously. 243 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: And the opposition to women going on expeditions was focused 244 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: on women's inferior physical and psychological strength, and this is 245 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: coming from Robin Burns and her book Just Tell Them 246 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: I Survived. It was also focused on the primitive living 247 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 1: conditions and the possible identitarious psychological effects on men of 248 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: having women in their midst And I think that's so funny, 249 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: because if we are the weak ones psychologically, then why 250 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: are guys so worried about the psychological effects that we 251 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 1: will have on them? I mean, there were all of 252 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: these like ideologies of gender that people talk about and 253 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: people writing about not wanting women to wreck the illusion 254 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: of the frontiersman, the hero illusion that these are especially 255 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: like in this era right after World War two, men 256 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: going on all male journeys to Antarctica, that that was 257 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 1: like a going with your battle buddies. That was like 258 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: escaping bad economies at home, or escaping the stresses of 259 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: home and going out with your all male battle buddy 260 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: crew and discovering something awesome and being a hero women 261 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: sort of. They were worried would just destroy that whole 262 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: illusion that they've built up, which was probably the you know, 263 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: the thinking behind that too, was because it would sex 264 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: would ruin everything because when you put you know, you 265 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 1: have men on essentially like a massive deserted island of sorts, 266 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: and then you toss women on there, then apparently our 267 00:16:57,760 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: lizard brands are just going to make sure that we 268 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: all just die because we all we can think about 269 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: a sex and then nothing will get accomplished. Yeah, somebody 270 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:07,600 Speaker 1: wrote I can't remember what it was from, but somebody 271 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: wrote that, you know, I don't want to send women 272 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,119 Speaker 1: down there until there's one woman for every man and 273 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,199 Speaker 1: all of the gender stuff. It's really fascinating when you 274 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: consider two things. The fact that when men were down there, 275 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: you know, largely in that the absence of women, they 276 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: were having to take up the typical you know, female 277 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,480 Speaker 1: domestic duties of cooking and cleaning and sort of housekeeping 278 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: or tent keeping or base keeping, whatever you would call it. Um. 279 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:35,880 Speaker 1: So they were sort of subverting gender roles in their 280 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 1: own way, even you know, at the expense of women 281 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:41,879 Speaker 1: not being allowed on these expeditions. But also when you 282 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: look at the topography today of Antarctica, there are so 283 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:51,360 Speaker 1: many features named for women. Yeah, there's no problem. I mean, 284 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: like women's names are riddled across this continent with their 285 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: own ice shelf or Mount Caroline Michelson, or even Queen 286 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: Maryland or Marie Birdland. But it's like, in symbolism only 287 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: should we have the female presence here at least during 288 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: this era, in you know, the post World War two 289 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: exploration phase. Yeah, and also during this period you have 290 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: gender being used to sort of reduced the perception of 291 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: the Russian threat. I mean you have to consider that 292 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 1: Russians were allowing women to participate in all all types 293 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,120 Speaker 1: of expeditions. A Russian woman was the first woman to 294 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:37,320 Speaker 1: go to space. This also included Antarctic missions. So, uh, this, 295 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 1: this whole idea of women going Russian women going to 296 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 1: Antarctica made people in America and Britain basically try to 297 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: make fun of them, calling them softies, saying that, oh, 298 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,200 Speaker 1: they're going on this journey that's supposed to be heroic, 299 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:54,600 Speaker 1: but they're you know, they're softies. They have carpets and 300 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 1: dial phones and girls at camp. Yeah, this was something 301 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: that Burns talked of out and just tell them I Survived, 302 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: which is a collection of stories about women in Antarctica, 303 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: and she talks about how in this era, in particular, 304 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: these women who went to Antarctica were almost exclusively referred 305 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: to in the media as girls, And there is this 306 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: notion of the female invasion that she writes lasted and 307 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: press reports well into the nineteen eighties, and it's just 308 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: funny to think of how, um, this intersection of the 309 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 1: Cold War plus gender plus Antarctic exploration all combines into 310 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: these you know, splashy media stories of oh look at 311 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,880 Speaker 1: those those Soviet reds in Antarctica. Well, we they aren't 312 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 1: a threat because women hang out with them. But things 313 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:51,400 Speaker 1: do get better once we get into the swinging sixties, 314 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 1: we start to see more progress in terms of women's 315 00:19:55,560 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: scientists being allowed to do work and in our Arctica. 316 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty nine, in fact, the first American women 317 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 1: scientists were sent down to work on the continent, and 318 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:12,239 Speaker 1: prior to this expedition, though the US Navy, which had 319 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 1: established the McMurdo Station, which was America's main base on 320 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:22,160 Speaker 1: Antarctica at the time, refused to transport any women to Antarctica. 321 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,400 Speaker 1: It was really the Navy who put their foot down 322 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: and said, no, no, we're not going to let these 323 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: women loose lips sink ships. Right. Yeah, women not allowed 324 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: on ships, so why would we take them to Antarctica. Yeah, 325 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:36,399 Speaker 1: But then you have Colin Bull, who was then the 326 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: director of Ohio State University's Institute of Polar Studies, who 327 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: lobbied for years for the Navy to change its policy. Yeah, 328 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 1: and he makes the incredibly good, astute point of the 329 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 1: fact that there is no difference if you look at 330 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: scientists with their parkison, a woman scientist looks exactly the 331 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 1: same as a male scientist when they have their partisans. 332 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: So let women go. There's no reason to keep them 333 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: from going. And so finally, in nineteen sixty nine for 334 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:13,880 Speaker 1: American women, geochemist Lois Jones, Kay Lindsay, geologist Eileen mc savaney, 335 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 1: and then undergraduate chemistry student Terry Terrell went down to Antarctica. 336 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:23,439 Speaker 1: And I love Terrell's story of how She was able 337 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: to join up with these other women because again, she 338 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,639 Speaker 1: was an undergraduate student and her boyfriend at the time 339 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: had just gotten back from an Antarctic trip doing some 340 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: sort of stem work down there, and she was bored. 341 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 1: She was in the lab. All the work she was 342 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 1: doing felt very monotonous, and she had been hearing about 343 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: these Antarctic trips and she said, I want to go. 344 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: And she heard that Lois Jones was heading up uh, 345 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 1: you know, all female, because the Navy also insisted that 346 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,120 Speaker 1: would be all female. She was setting up an all 347 00:21:56,200 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: female expedition, and so she just to Jones's door, knocked 348 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 1: on it, and Jones was like, oh, well tell me 349 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: what you do. I don't know, We've already got somebody. 350 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:10,119 Speaker 1: But then that other woman who was going to go 351 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: wasn't able to go, and so Terrell just by leaning 352 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,359 Speaker 1: in kind of, I mean, this is like a great 353 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: example of women. If you want something, you might as 354 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: well ask. Yeah, I mean, And they said that they 355 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: needed a cook and a field assistant. Perfect. She could cook, 356 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: she could be a field assistant. She had lab experience. 357 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:30,679 Speaker 1: So she ended up going, yeah, you never nine. You 358 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:32,640 Speaker 1: never know when you knock on a door who knows, 359 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 1: maybe you'll go to Antarctica. Yeah, I'll no knocking on 360 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,879 Speaker 1: doors for me. Don't want to go where it's cold. 361 00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 1: But it's also funny how the Navy changed its tune 362 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 1: so quickly once the women are down there, and I 363 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: guess they realized that, oh, okay, this is actually all right. 364 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 1: Uh all right there they they will survive and things 365 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: have not been completely ruined. So on November twelve, the 366 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: Navy organized a media event making those was for women 367 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: who came down along with New Zealand biologist Pam Young 368 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: and Detroit Free Press science writer Gene Pearson, the first 369 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: women to touch down on the South Pole, that spot 370 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:16,480 Speaker 1: on the globe. And the way that they ensured that 371 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: was it was pretty much like a one two three jump. Yeah, 372 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 1: so there would be no woman who was first before 373 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: the others. They all came out of the airplane at 374 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 1: the same time. It was very, very planned and stage 375 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 1: but it was a hit. And that same year New 376 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:35,399 Speaker 1: Zealand became the first nation to appoint a woman to 377 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: a permanent scientific position for Arctic work. And I should 378 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: have seen if it was in fact by all just 379 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: Pam Young, who was that was that woman? I'm not sure. 380 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: I don't have the name in front of me, but hey, 381 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: go New Zealand. So some progress is being made. Nonetheless, 382 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: women remain a minority in Antarctic research well into the 383 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:02,479 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties. But um, there are some interesting points along 384 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: the way, for instance, in the late nineteen seventies, and 385 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:10,159 Speaker 1: I want to read more about this, but apparently Argentina 386 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 1: and Chile, which we're both you know, sending scientists down 387 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:18,120 Speaker 1: there as well, they flew pregnant women to give birth 388 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: on Antarctica. I guess to test how well the childbirth 389 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:27,120 Speaker 1: situation happened in the cold, well, I don't I don't 390 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: think it was scientific. I think a lot of it 391 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: was tied to land claims, because the idea of sending 392 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 1: these women down to give birth automatically created some sort 393 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 1: of like genealogical birthright claim to the land. Because I think, 394 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, because now 395 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 1: Antarctica is like it's open season, it's multinational research based, 396 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:54,399 Speaker 1: it's not claimed by one country. But back at this 397 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,399 Speaker 1: time in history, I think there were a lot of 398 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 1: people trying to make claims to it, and so the 399 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,200 Speaker 1: more people that they can say, they popped out, and 400 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:05,640 Speaker 1: they're like, oh, we popped out some kids, so naturally 401 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: we have like this birthright to this section of the earth. 402 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,480 Speaker 1: But think about that those governments were willing to send 403 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: down pregnant women legitimately, I don't want to say like 404 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 1: at risk population, but think about how those governments sent 405 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:22,120 Speaker 1: down pregnant women. I mean considering the fact that even 406 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 1: today doctors advised against women in certain you know, like 407 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 1: late trimesters, even flying in a plane, much less going 408 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:34,120 Speaker 1: to Antarctica. They sent them down so as to possibly 409 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: help out with some land grabby situation maybe, but women 410 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 1: scientists or allowed. Isn't that interesting? That is interesting? But 411 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,359 Speaker 1: pregnant women also aren't a threat, that's true. They're not 412 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 1: trying to do any science work. God forbids. Interesting. Interesting 413 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:55,399 Speaker 1: how women and their bodies and their names were used, 414 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: but scientists weren't. Okay, just just interesting, although although it 415 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 1: was get okay, it was getting okay um. In nineteen four, 416 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: backing up a couple of years, there was marine biologist 417 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:11,200 Speaker 1: Mary McWhinnie and sister Mary Cohun, a nun, who went 418 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,840 Speaker 1: down for the US to Antarctica. And it was like, 419 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,399 Speaker 1: once these American women started going down. Then you start 420 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: seeing Australian, French and German science teams following suits, sending 421 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:33,439 Speaker 1: more women, but the one holdout old yeah guys, what Yeah, 422 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:37,920 Speaker 1: They still weren't super into the idea of women's scientists 423 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: going down there, to the point that female British applicants 424 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 1: would receive a letter warning them that there were no 425 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:51,199 Speaker 1: hairdressers or shops on Antarctica. And then I just I 426 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: just flipped the table over and walk out of the 427 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:59,119 Speaker 1: recording studio because that was, I mean, the relic of 428 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:01,120 Speaker 1: a bygone air that they might as well have just said, 429 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 1: women be shopping. Women can't be shopping on Antarctica. Um so, 430 00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 1: but but Britain will catch up eventually, but but not yet. 431 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:12,919 Speaker 1: Um in the eighties, so we have a couple of 432 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 1: things happen. Elizabeth Chitman publishes the book Women on Ice, 433 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: which is sort of a one of the earliest, I guess, 434 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: initiatives to really publicize the work of women in Antarctica 435 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 1: and also talk about the women who had gone down 436 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 1: and probably not so much of a scientific capacity, like 437 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,719 Speaker 1: Carol and Michelson, who you know, is the first one 438 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 1: to step down on Macquarie Island. And then a few 439 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: years later, in nine, Australian Diana Patterson becomes the first 440 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: female station leader in Antarctica, which I mean, that's impressive, 441 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: like finally, finally the little woman be the manager. That's great, 442 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 1: uh finally, um, because you know, station leader is heading 443 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: up a lot of different staff members, people like doctors, scientists, 444 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 1: meteorological bureau people, radio and communications people, a chef because 445 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:08,280 Speaker 1: somebody has to make some food. Penguins, penguins, God, who's 446 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,920 Speaker 1: going to control all the penguins. I would really love 447 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,360 Speaker 1: to go to Antarctica to see the penguins. I don't 448 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:15,920 Speaker 1: want I don't want to just see him. You want 449 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 1: to hug him. I want to hug him. Yeah, yeah, 450 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:20,600 Speaker 1: I don't think we can do that. Yeah. And then 451 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 1: in the nineties though, this is when British listeners all right, thanks, 452 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,920 Speaker 1: there are things they're looking up for you, because there 453 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 1: was still some waffling over sending women on winter expeditions 454 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 1: because I mean, I would not want to go to 455 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,959 Speaker 1: Antarctica during the winter. It is dark and it is 456 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 1: even colder. Um, and so really the over wintering was 457 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: the last big obstacle for women exploring Antarctica. Because it 458 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 1: was like at first it was like okay, well you 459 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: can come down, you can like touch your feet down 460 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: and then scramble back to the ship. Oh, you can 461 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 1: come down for the spring or summer, but definitely not 462 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: the winter. But now by this point, obviously in nineties, 463 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:04,760 Speaker 1: we have women who have spent the winter and survived, 464 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 1: and they are also in the nineties more women becoming 465 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: serious about Antarctic trekking. Actually just you know, like going 466 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: out and trekking hundreds of miles to say, the South Pole, 467 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 1: and this kind of similar activity is also happening at 468 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 1: the North Pole as well, right, and uh, this is 469 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: in January. That's when we get and Bancroft leading the 470 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 1: American Women's Antarctic Expedition. She arrived at the South Pole 471 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:33,280 Speaker 1: after covering seven hundred miles in sixty seven days. And 472 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 1: we talked about Ann in our first introductory episode um 473 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,240 Speaker 1: one of the team members on this expedition, and Alvera 474 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:44,520 Speaker 1: said she just wanted to prove to herself that she 475 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: didn't have to be a barely big man to make 476 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:52,160 Speaker 1: this journey. Yeah, that's when she told National Geographic and 477 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: she proved it. She definitely proved it. To herself. In 478 00:29:55,560 --> 00:30:00,760 Speaker 1: the following year, probably prompted by these kinds of a acomplishments, 479 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: two British women over winter and their success finally breaks 480 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: the ice ceiling shall we call it, regarding the British 481 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 1: team's attitudes towards women being there. Finally, in nineteen four, 482 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: and also that same year, Live Arnisson, which might be 483 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: a familiar name if you listen to our introductory episode 484 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:26,040 Speaker 1: on this Explorer series, became the first woman to ski 485 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 1: solo to the South Pole, which was a fifty day 486 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: expedition of seven hundred forty five miles, and a couple 487 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: of years later, one woman who blew me away with 488 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 1: her story in Jerry Nelson, who's a doctor and she's 489 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: in Antarctica, discovers that she has breast cancer. She performs 490 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: a biopsy on herself and then administers chemotherapy to herself 491 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 1: while she is on antarctica. Yeah, that's hardcore. Yeah. I mean, 492 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: if they're or any doubt that women could survive in Antarctica, 493 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: the answer is yes. And then some seriously, how you 494 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 1: self administer a biopsy also is beyond me. That's so incredible. 495 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 1: But there was another It might have been Robin Burns, 496 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 1: who wrote the book we referenced earlier. Just tell them 497 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 1: I survived or someone she was writing about, UM who 498 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: had wanted to go for it to Antarctica for so 499 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,280 Speaker 1: long and then found out while she was in a 500 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:31,480 Speaker 1: waiting period, found out that she had breast cancer. And 501 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,400 Speaker 1: the one thing she talked about that got her through 502 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 1: chemotherapy h was the prospect of going to Antarctica, and 503 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:42,160 Speaker 1: she made it. She ended up making it down there, 504 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 1: and then getting a little more contemporary. In two thousand one, 505 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 1: we have Anne Bancroft and Liz Arnisson again teaming up 506 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 1: now to become the first women to ski across Antarctica. UM. 507 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 1: But the year before there was actually uh Norwegian born 508 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:02,000 Speaker 1: sny Be Sorby and you will settle Mark of Greenland 509 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 1: who had to cancel their planned Antarctic crossing after a 510 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: sponsor dropped out. UM. And I was reading about this 511 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 1: in National Geographic and an article talking about what we've 512 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 1: talked about a lot in the series, that need for 513 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: funding because it's not cheap to go and ski across Antarctica. Yeah, 514 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: you can't just pack a sleeping bag and a tent 515 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: and some heavy coats and go. You you need a 516 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:26,880 Speaker 1: lot of resources to be able to survive down there 517 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: for any length of time. Yeah, you need like a 518 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 1: really good cell phone service, No kidding. So today, though, 519 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,280 Speaker 1: if we're we're moving up in the years, women compose 520 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:42,560 Speaker 1: around a quarter to a third of expedition ers, although, 521 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,479 Speaker 1: as we talked about in our intro, that whole funding 522 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,640 Speaker 1: issue can still be quite a challenge. But you have 523 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:51,360 Speaker 1: people like Rosie Stancer, the one that we quoted at 524 00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:53,719 Speaker 1: the top of the podcast talking about the differences between 525 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: Antarctica and trekking across the Arctic Um. She is planning 526 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: an expedition to the North Pole in in order to 527 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: become the first woman to walk to both poles solo, 528 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: and she is being financed by none other than the 529 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,800 Speaker 1: Prince of Wales. There we go, Britains, There we go, 530 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,160 Speaker 1: making up for lost time. Cool. But I love I 531 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 1: love how she how she looks at this. I mean, 532 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:23,000 Speaker 1: she she really liked that isolation. Those solo trips um 533 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,480 Speaker 1: one very adorable story. Uh is She said that I 534 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: had a message from my base camp manager saying that 535 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:30,760 Speaker 1: the Russians who kept an ice trip over to on 536 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:33,400 Speaker 1: the other side, we're giving up and going home. Because 537 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: of the appalling weather, all of the ice had broken up. 538 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 1: I was the only human being left on the entire 539 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 1: Arctic Ocean, five and a half million square miles of ice, 540 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:47,760 Speaker 1: all to me, Me, me, myself, me, and I danced 541 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,800 Speaker 1: a little jick. I just thought it was so amazing. Yeah, 542 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 1: And that was her talking about one of her expeditions 543 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 1: to the North Pole. Um. But then, I mean, this 544 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: woman is tough, and I think which we could say 545 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,800 Speaker 1: of all the women who are doing this kind of 546 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:08,759 Speaker 1: exploration and also adventuring. In two thousand seven, she had 547 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:11,439 Speaker 1: to stop just eighty nine nautical miles from the North 548 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:15,040 Speaker 1: Pole after cutting off two of her own toes due 549 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: to frost bite. Followed by Gang Green Nikes Lady. She 550 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:23,520 Speaker 1: literally took herself to the limit and it was finally like, well, 551 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,239 Speaker 1: I guess I can't go any farther because this, I mean, 552 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:30,800 Speaker 1: I lost to toes, no big deal, but this snow 553 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:35,759 Speaker 1: blind necessarily getting to me the sunburn. Yeah, so but 554 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:39,279 Speaker 1: something to look forward to though in I'll definitely be 555 00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:43,760 Speaker 1: rooting her on absolutely. And I mean, speaking of the future, 556 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:48,520 Speaker 1: I mean, there are so many great reasons if you 557 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,240 Speaker 1: can stand the cold, there are so many great reasons 558 00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: that scientists and other researchers go to Antarctica. There are 559 00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,520 Speaker 1: so many things to be discovered. Yeah, that might be 560 00:34:57,560 --> 00:34:59,200 Speaker 1: a big question. I know it was a big question 561 00:34:59,239 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 1: for me at the outset of looking up stuff for 562 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:05,680 Speaker 1: this episode was well, why would you go to Antarctica 563 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:08,440 Speaker 1: in the first place? What can you discover in all 564 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:12,720 Speaker 1: that snow? Well, silly Kristen, so many things. Of course, 565 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:16,280 Speaker 1: PBS actually did a nice overview of all the different 566 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: kinds of STEM projects happening today UM on Antarctica. Just 567 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 1: side note, there are four permanent research stations occupied by 568 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: researchers from eighteen nations, So I imagine it's sort of 569 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:34,359 Speaker 1: like the International Space Station of Antarctica, if that makes 570 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:37,720 Speaker 1: any sense at all. Um, And it's a major hub, 571 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:41,600 Speaker 1: no big surprise for climate change research. So one of 572 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:46,279 Speaker 1: the projects, for instance, is mapping the subglacial gamberts of mountains, 573 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: which could then offer clues into the growth rate of 574 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:53,600 Speaker 1: the East Antarctic ice sheet, which would then offer clues 575 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,600 Speaker 1: to how ice sheets might respond to climate change. And 576 00:35:57,640 --> 00:35:59,800 Speaker 1: then I don't have to go from you know, explain 577 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:05,040 Speaker 1: how those kinds of ripple effects could impact us here 578 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,839 Speaker 1: in terms of global water levels, right, and in terms 579 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:11,960 Speaker 1: of environmental research, the pristine environment in the Antarctic makes 580 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: it a great location to study how pollutants travel through 581 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,240 Speaker 1: the atmosphere. I mean, people have found that mercury, for instance, 582 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,680 Speaker 1: can travel so far and work its way into that 583 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:27,320 Speaker 1: pristine Antarctic ecosystem. And astronomers can have a great time 584 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 1: down there because of the dark skies. They stay so 585 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:31,960 Speaker 1: dark for so long. It's not like there's a whole 586 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:35,520 Speaker 1: lot of light pollution down in Antarctica. And then marine 587 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: biologists go down to study the remarkable sea creatures that 588 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:41,960 Speaker 1: manage to survive in cold climate. I mean they've discovered 589 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:46,160 Speaker 1: organisms that survived nowhere else on the planet, you know, 590 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:51,759 Speaker 1: that are specifically evolved to stick it out in Antarctic waters. 591 00:36:52,239 --> 00:36:55,160 Speaker 1: And then for astrophysicists, its location at the bottom of 592 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 1: the globe means that it sits at the perfect spot 593 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:02,400 Speaker 1: to study the Earth's gravitational and magnetic fields, and on 594 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:04,799 Speaker 1: and on from there. I mean, for for all of 595 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:12,160 Speaker 1: the letters in Stem, there is something to learn on Antarctica. Yeah. So, um, 596 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: when you guys go and you explore Antarctica and you 597 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 1: find the secrets of the universe, Like, write us an 598 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:19,799 Speaker 1: email or something and tell us how it was, send 599 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:22,799 Speaker 1: us a photo. Please. I know that there is an 600 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:27,000 Speaker 1: Antarctic researcher who's a big fan of stuff you missed 601 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:31,920 Speaker 1: in history class, our sister podcast and uh, she said 602 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,799 Speaker 1: that those podcasts really get her through that. I think 603 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:38,600 Speaker 1: she was overwintering and just got helped get her through 604 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:42,720 Speaker 1: those dark, dark days, literally dark. Um. So if there 605 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: are any Antarctic researchers also listening to us, how exciting 606 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,040 Speaker 1: that would be. Yeah, I want I want to hear, Like, 607 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 1: just write us a book and send it. I just 608 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:54,640 Speaker 1: want to read everything. Just a book, That's all we asked. Um. 609 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:57,080 Speaker 1: But this was This was really fun to research though, 610 00:37:57,120 --> 00:37:58,839 Speaker 1: because I think it's a spot that maybe we don't 611 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,240 Speaker 1: think about all that often, and yet is so fraught 612 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 1: with so many fascinating layers of gender and history and stem. Yeah, 613 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:15,480 Speaker 1: and penguins warmth. How do you stay warm hugging penguins? 614 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 1: You hug penguins and they keep you warm. I know, 615 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:21,759 Speaker 1: I know. Yeah, you can go down there now, Carolina. Well, 616 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,120 Speaker 1: now we want to hear from you. Have you been 617 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,920 Speaker 1: to Antarctica? Are you planning to go or are you 618 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:29,760 Speaker 1: an Arctic explore I know there has to be somebody 619 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:32,080 Speaker 1: out there who is, and we really want to hear 620 00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:35,040 Speaker 1: from you. Mom Stuff at how stuff works dot Com 621 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:37,919 Speaker 1: is our email address. You can also tweet us your 622 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 1: thoughts at mom Stuff podcast, or send us a message 623 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:43,480 Speaker 1: over on Facebook, and we've got a couple of messages 624 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:50,040 Speaker 1: to share with you right now. So I gotta let 625 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:53,040 Speaker 1: her hear from Emily about raising boys, and I wanted 626 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: to share it just to sort of start a conversation 627 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 1: among other listeners get some feedback, so I'll dive ahead. 628 00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:03,960 Speaker 1: She writes. The thing that I struggle with is lack 629 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:06,480 Speaker 1: of good information on how to teach our boys about 630 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:09,239 Speaker 1: how to be well rounded men instead of just the 631 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:14,120 Speaker 1: Disney character stereotyped dashing prince who conquers what and whomever 632 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:16,959 Speaker 1: he chooses. One thing that I've thought a lot about 633 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,520 Speaker 1: is teaching my boys about sexual violence. I know that 634 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:22,040 Speaker 1: they'll be raised in environment with good role models in 635 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: my husband and me, but I think we need to 636 00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:27,520 Speaker 1: expose them two more. The statistic that really startles me 637 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:30,120 Speaker 1: is that one in five women will experience sexual assault 638 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:32,600 Speaker 1: in college, and I wonder what the reverse is. How 639 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: many boys will be the perpetrators of sexual violence. How 640 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:37,840 Speaker 1: do we end that cycle? I was a victim of 641 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:40,720 Speaker 1: attempted violence twice in my college years, and until recently 642 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: I thought that was an anomaly. It's startling and sad 643 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:45,960 Speaker 1: to think that these men probably had well meaning and 644 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,760 Speaker 1: hard working mothers just like myself, but these crimes still occur. 645 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,840 Speaker 1: I'm wondering if you would consider doing a podcast or 646 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:54,400 Speaker 1: part of a podcast about raising boys in our culture 647 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:56,879 Speaker 1: and how we might begin the process of changing the 648 00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:01,439 Speaker 1: norm of sexual violence perpetrated by men against women and men. 649 00:40:02,080 --> 00:40:05,040 Speaker 1: And this is something that I've thought about a lot 650 00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:06,719 Speaker 1: as well in terms of I mean the fact that 651 00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:08,640 Speaker 1: we have a lot of male listeners, which makes me 652 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:12,319 Speaker 1: very happy. Um but I do also think that there 653 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:16,640 Speaker 1: is a need for inviting more men and boys to 654 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 1: the table to have these conversations to learn about the 655 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 1: kinds of things that we talked about a lot on 656 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:22,960 Speaker 1: the podcast. Um but I really want to hear from 657 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,959 Speaker 1: guys on this. If you have any suggestions on whether 658 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:28,719 Speaker 1: we should do a podcast like this, what we should 659 00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:31,719 Speaker 1: talk about things that you have found helpful, Please let 660 00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 1: us know. Mom Stuff at how stuff works dot com 661 00:40:35,239 --> 00:40:38,520 Speaker 1: is where you can send us a letter. Alrighty, I 662 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: have a letter here from a j about our single 663 00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 1: dad's Father's Day episode. She says, that's the proud daughter 664 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:46,640 Speaker 1: of a single dad. I don't hear too much about 665 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:49,000 Speaker 1: the way I was raised in popular culture, and people 666 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:52,760 Speaker 1: typically have a lot of questions, namely where was my mom? 667 00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:54,640 Speaker 1: My parents divorced when I was eleven, and for a 668 00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:57,319 Speaker 1: number of reasons, my dad got full custody and my 669 00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:00,360 Speaker 1: mom and I now have a good relationship. Yeah, times, 670 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:02,600 Speaker 1: it was a little awkward going through puberty with just 671 00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:04,959 Speaker 1: a dad in the house, but who isn't awkward during 672 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:08,000 Speaker 1: puberty anyway. I love the positive stance you took in 673 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:10,480 Speaker 1: your podcast and the celebration of mine and all the 674 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:13,640 Speaker 1: other single dads out there. My dad helped me through 675 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:15,920 Speaker 1: two ankle surgeries while I was in middle school, went 676 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,160 Speaker 1: to meetings for the high school band boosters, took me 677 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,520 Speaker 1: on a road trip to visit potential colleges, and all 678 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:23,520 Speaker 1: those other parent things, all while holding down a demanding job. 679 00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:26,400 Speaker 1: My dad and all the other parents going out at alone. 680 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:29,359 Speaker 1: Men and women are so often unsung heroes, So thanks 681 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:32,759 Speaker 1: for bringing attention to cool alternative families like mine. Oh 682 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,319 Speaker 1: and one of my favorite things busting stereotypes about kids 683 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:39,239 Speaker 1: of single parents. I earned my doctorate in psychology three 684 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:43,120 Speaker 1: years ago at the age of twenty five. Take that, haters. 685 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:46,239 Speaker 1: So congratulations a J. And thank you for writing him, 686 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:49,160 Speaker 1: and thanks everyone who's written into us mom stuff at 687 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:51,719 Speaker 1: how stuff Works is where you can email us and 688 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:54,680 Speaker 1: for links to all of our social media's, all of 689 00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:58,719 Speaker 1: our blog post, videos, and a five hundred plus podcasts, 690 00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:01,799 Speaker 1: including podcast stores. Is there's one place to go and 691 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:08,840 Speaker 1: explore It's stuff Mom Never Told You dot com For 692 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,320 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics. Is it 693 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:20,360 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot com