A Gendered Approach to Science Ethics for US and UK Physicists

Area of Science:

• Science and Engineering Ethics
• Physics
• Professional Ethics

Background:

• Existing research on gender and ethics is limited to the for-profit sector and US context.
• Little attention has been paid to gender and ethics in global science professions.
• Science is a rapidly growing global sector with ethically ambiguous areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how physicists perceive the impact of gender on science ethics.
• To adopt an international comparative perspective on gender and ethics in science.
• To contribute to the understanding of gender and science and engineering ethics.

Main Methods:

• 121 semi-structured interviews with US and UK academic physicists.
• International comparative analysis.
• Qualitative data analysis of physicists' perceptions.

Main Results:

• Some physicists perceive female scientists handle ethical issues in a "feminine" way, while male scientists approach them in a "masculine" way.
• These perceived differences in approach are thought by some to affect competitiveness in academic physics.
• A segment of physicists in both the US and UK identify as "gender-blind" regarding professional ethics.

Conclusions:

• Physicists hold nuanced views on the relationship between gender and science ethics.
• Perceptions of gendered approaches to ethics may influence views on competitiveness within academic physics.
• The study highlights the need for further research into gender dynamics in science and engineering ethics globally.