The interest in the sociological approach to science has grown since the 1970s and has led to interesting interpretations that define science as a “complex, cognitive, cultural and social phenomenon” (Merton, 1973). This co-construction, together with the key contribution of feminist studies, has provided a broader framework in which to identify the conditions and processes that form the basis for the reproduction of the characteristics related to the history of scientific knowledge and of scientific institutions, where women are excluded as both subjects and objects. This article clearly shows how women’s subordination to male rationality is present today in the organization of universities and in the teaching staff recruitment policies. The paper aims to analyse the dynamics of exclusion, as a result of a multidimensional process (individual behaviours that add to the interactional dynamics and organisational rules) and of social construction of gender (Wharton 2005) and science (Fox-Keller 1985; Merchant 1988). With regard to the process of gender identity construction, the implications of belonging to one sex in terms of development of attitudes, behaviours and desires more or less conform to cultural and social expectations (Ruspini 2003). The article therefore aim to focus on the implications of the connection between these expectations and the expectations associated with the contents of science from a social standpoint.
Women in Academic Medicine: The Leaking Process in Italy
CERVIA, silvia
;biancheri, Rita
2018-01-01
Abstract
The interest in the sociological approach to science has grown since the 1970s and has led to interesting interpretations that define science as a “complex, cognitive, cultural and social phenomenon” (Merton, 1973). This co-construction, together with the key contribution of feminist studies, has provided a broader framework in which to identify the conditions and processes that form the basis for the reproduction of the characteristics related to the history of scientific knowledge and of scientific institutions, where women are excluded as both subjects and objects. This article clearly shows how women’s subordination to male rationality is present today in the organization of universities and in the teaching staff recruitment policies. The paper aims to analyse the dynamics of exclusion, as a result of a multidimensional process (individual behaviours that add to the interactional dynamics and organisational rules) and of social construction of gender (Wharton 2005) and science (Fox-Keller 1985; Merchant 1988). With regard to the process of gender identity construction, the implications of belonging to one sex in terms of development of attitudes, behaviours and desires more or less conform to cultural and social expectations (Ruspini 2003). The article therefore aim to focus on the implications of the connection between these expectations and the expectations associated with the contents of science from a social standpoint.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
