As armas de Marte no espelho de Vênus a marca de gênero em Ciências Biológicas.

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2003

RESUMO

The analysis of gender-related impacts on education and professional activities of female biologists working in the area of research comprised the main objective of this study. The theoretical approach of the proposed theme involved a historical and philosophical analysis of Modern Science in light of the feminist theory regarding the dominant model for construction of knowledge; according to such theory the philosophical schools guiding the scientific reasoning are not neutral regarding gender, since the essentialness-based theories established for being a man or a woman point out a pretense difficulty faced by female professionals to overcome those challenges arising during the production of knowledge due to their supposedly intellectual inferiority, subjectivity, prevalence of emotion over reason and absence of aggressiveness inherent to the idea of domination required from a scientist before her/his subject of study. In that sense the construction of the female identity and its articulation with the world of science were also subject of analysis. Considering the importance of the undergraduate course for education of female scientists, specifically regarding the female biologist researchers, the study also analyzed the undergraduation course of Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Bahia regarding the epistemological option and model of curriculum. Consonant the feminist inspiration characterizing this qualitative study, the main sources of information used by the author were reports provided by the interviewed female scientists regarding their experience in the professional field and their impressions regarding the course they attended. The interviews addressed researcher biologists graduated at the Institute of Biology from 1973 through 2000, totalizing 17 biologists who embraced the field of research and who accepted to participate in our survey. Those interviews provided data for analysis of categories guiding the survey, as follows: female identity, scientist identity, conception of Science, epistemological option, curriculum model adopted by the course of Biological Sciences and power relationships associated with gender stereotypes at the work environment. Data gathered during the field survey confronted with theoretical references provide elements suggesting the existence of a substantial gender-mark within the academy, particularly in the universe where the female biologists graduated from Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Bahia are inserted into. Similarly the analysis of data suggest a positivism inspiration for the conception of the course of Biological Sciences; the author also affirms that the model of curriculum adopted by that course since its implementation, including the curriculum reforms carried out, was technocrat and content-based. The norms, codes, values and expected and stimulated behaviors among those undergraduate students embracing the scientific research are dictated by the hegemonic rational within the scientific world, based on the rationalism of Descartes and on the positivism of Comte, where Reasoning is a core and sufficient skill for apprehension of phenomena and the sole possibility for elaboration of a universally valid method to unveil Nature. Most of the female scientists reported the perception of their female identity as a possible menace to the achievement of their objectives, since the female identity is associated with aspects of human experience which are precisely considered as non-desirable ones for the construction of knowledge, including emotion, subjectivity, absence of aggressiveness or competitiveness, and especially maternity. The major part of the interviewees associated the female identity with maternity and care, exactly how women from older generations have been doing along history. Their statements reflected the existing conflict between the requirements imposed by the scientific activities and the household responsibilities, therefore creating two separate and antagonist identities in their minds: the woman and the scientist, under the same Cartesian view which impregnate their view of the world. In regards to power relationships at the professional environment, the survey revealed that a small number of female biologists occupy or have occupied outstanding positions as female scientists in their corresponding institutions, despite the fact that the number of female professionals in the field of biological sciences is higher than the number of male professionals. Most of the interviewees reported that they have never been affected by explicit prejudice or discrimination due to their challenging and self-confident attitude before their male peers. Such "adequacy to the male model involve mental attitude, learning of techniques and procedures, increased competitiveness and especially the negation of those elements associated with the female identity, which could constitute subject of criticism or censure by their male peers. Therefore the author affirms that considering the context where the subjects of the survey are inserted into, the female scientists reflect or assimilate certain male-associated characteristics in order to establish themselves within the scientific environment marked by an androcentrism-based bias already pointed out at different stages of this study. The study indicates that the main challenge faced by female scientists is the structure of the field of scientific survey itself, conceived and constructed for male scientists, encompassing a model of patriarchal society; such approach dictates a non-restrict freedom for male professionals in the work environment, while the all responsibilities of the familiar life remain with women. The author concluded that the overcoming of difficulties faced by women in the scientific world and the correction of historical gender-asymmetries in their field of work depend on a deep structural change of the civil society towards the division of gender-related responsibilities.

ASSUNTO(S)

mulheres biologia gender estudo e ensino superior currículos sexo biologists educacao discriminação mulheres cientistas

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