Hidden in plain view: feminists doing engineering ethics, engineers doing feminist ethics.

Area of Science:

• Engineering Ethics
• Feminist Philosophy
• Social Justice

Background:

• Engineering ethics has historically overlooked gender concerns.
• Feminist philosophy offers valuable insights for ethical engineering practices.
• Integrating feminist perspectives can address systemic biases in engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how feminist ethics themes have been incorporated into engineering ethics.
• To analyze existing examples of feminist ethics in engineering.
• To propose pathways for developing a "feminist engineering ethics".

Main Methods:

• Literature review of feminist ethics and engineering ethics.
• Analysis of three case studies integrating feminist themes.
• Examination of Caroline Whitbeck's work, Ethic of Care, Social Justice, and the film "Henry's Daughters".

Main Results:

• Caroline Whitbeck's work implicitly uses feminist philosophy without explicit labeling.
• The Ethic of Care and Social Justice principles are adopted but often diluted in engineering.
• "Henry's Daughters" film, while addressing gender, inadvertently harms sexual harassment education.

Conclusions:

• There is a need for greater explicit integration of feminist ethics in engineering.
• Engineering ethicists should more actively utilize feminist traditions.
• Developing a "feminist engineering ethics" requires further research and practical application.