Ellie Smith

Chawkat

G/T Independent Research

Men and Women in Space

Leon, G. R. (2005). Men and Women in Space. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine,

76(6), B84-B88.

This study assessed the behavioral differences of men and women in extreme

environments. The author explains that family, peers, genes, and society influence individual

behaviors. Additionally, it explains that men and women have different focuses and concerns

during their mission. Men are generally more stressed about the tasks they are completing on the

mission, but women are generally more concerned about the welfare of other members on their

team. The author included interviews of members of expeditions in extreme environments. In an

expedition of seven men and one woman to the North Pole, the men explained how they were

able to open up about their feelings when their female team member was around. On the other

hand, during the interview, the woman expressed her feelings of anger about not being able to

talk to the men about her feelings. Expedition groups should not have only one gender, though.

An expedition with only women showed that some of the women sometimes wished that the

pace was what it would be with men, and in groups of all men, they would be very competitive

and task-oriented. The author concludes that groups going on long-duration missions in space

should be assessed individually by looking at their behavior, task performance, personality, and
psychological status. The author also comments that these gender differences do not apply to

every person.

Author Gloria Leon currently works with NASA’s Human Research Program to study the

effects of extreme environments on the human body. She is a professor emerita in psychology at

the University of Minnesota. Additionally, she worked with NASA studying the influence of

personality and culture on group performance in extreme environments. In this academic journal,

Leon approaches the topic from all sides and includes no bias. She addresses that the information

in the academic journal does not always apply to every person. She provided information about

what influences behavior and personality differences between men and women. She then goes on

to explain studies of different groups containing different genders to come up with solutions to

the problems that occurred in those expeditions. Although the journal was published in 2005, the

information is still relevant. The source “Putting gender into context: an interactive model of

gender-related behavior” by Kay Deaux, Perdue University, and Brenda Major, State University

of New York at Buffalo, authenticates the influences of behavior and personality of men and

women. Leon’s academic journal was written for the trainers of astronauts to help them better

understand the importance of what they are assessing and how they can improve. Leon shares

this broad yet detailed information to help assess and determine the teams of long-duration space

missions.
Notes:

● Gender is a key component in behavior and interaction in groups

● Women tend to express their feelings better than men

● Men tend to be more competitive

● Men and women have different experiences in the same work environment due to the

different expectations they have on them based on their gender.

● In a study of West Point cadets:

○ The small group of women reported feeling less accepted compared to the men.

○ They also felt like they were more closely being judged than the men, especially

when they make a mistake.

● Leadership performance is influenced by gender.

○ Women are more likely to have communal qualities (concern for others).

■ Communal qualities are not associated with leadership

○ Men are more likely to have agentic qualities (independence, self confidence).

■ Agentic qualities are more associated with leadership

● Women leaders show both communal and agentic qualities

○ Shouldn’t their successful leadership position be acknowledged?

● Everyone has individual characteristics, so these attributes based on gender aren’t always

the same for every person of that gender

● More women are doing previously male dominated occupations as there is more

encouragement for girls to do them.

● Individual differences are influenced by family, peers, genes, and societal influences and

expectations.

○ Ex. A girl who is skilled in mathematics and science who is encouraged by her

family to follow those skills and passion into a career will probably end up have a

career related to science and math.

● Polar environments are used to research teams in isolated and extreme environments.

○ They can learn what behaviors occur in teams of mixed gender to prepare for

space. Using that information, they can develop better training programs.

● There is evidence of tension between genders in the polar and space expeditions.

● Teams of all males were very competitive. They also did not share their feelings which

each other.

● Teams of all females lead to cooperation. They also talk to each other about their feelings

● In teams of mixed gender, the men tend to talk to the women about their feelings, but the

women did not talk to the men about their feelings.

● The men and women reported different most significant stressors

○ The men reported mission-related things as their biggest stressor.

○ The women reported concerns about other members of the team as their biggest

stressor.

● Interview from a team of seven men and 1 woman from an expedition reaching the North

pole

○ The men felt that it was easier to share their feelings when there was a woman

around. They also said that the woman’s sensitivity was nice in some instances,

but challenging in others.

 ○ The woman felt that when she talked about her feelings, she wasn’t being heard.

She also felt that she had to work hard to prove herself.

● On an expedition of nine men and three women

○ The Russian men on the expedition thought that the US men were treating the

women poorly for making them carry as much as them.

○ The US men thought that the Russian men were treating the women like royalty.

○ The women did not want to be patronized.

● An expedition with 4 women and no men

○ There was strong teamwork

○ One woman sometimes wished the group would go at a pace more like male

dominated expeditions.

● Expedition with three married couples

○ Felt the importance of having a married partner for social and emotional support.

○ Felt that for space missions, it is better to have relationships formed on the ground

before going up.

● Sexuality is an issue that needs to be addressed for space missions

○ During a simulation, a male made a sexual approach that was unwanted

● The information covered in this study does not apply to every single person

○ Deeper studies will need to be done for the specific crews of long-duration space

missions

■ Ratio of men to women

■ How well the group interacts together

■ Nationality
 ■ Duration of mission

○ It is best to assess each person individually

■ Psychological status

■ Family status

■ Behavior

■ Task Performance

■ Personality

● Many astronauts do not want to share their emotions and problems because they don’t

want it to affect whether or not they do future missions