Reflections on Gender Asymmetries in Science: what can we learn from the experiences of women in the physical sciences in Mexico?

Abstract

This article presents reflections from a research project that characterizes gender asymmetries in science in Mexico, drawing evidence from the field of physical sciences. Its aim is to understand the factors that emphasize gender gaps, disadvantages, asymmetries, and violence against women, as well as the specific challenges faced by female researchers in the physical sciences at UNAM, in contrast to their male counterparts. I employed three methodological strategies to achieve this objective: 1) in collaboration with colleagues, I have developed three extensive databases on scientific production in the field; 2) I conducted ethnographic fieldwork in laboratories where female researchers carry out their work, which including participation in seminars, research group meetings, academic and outreach events; 3) I carried out semi-structured interviews with female researchers and academic technicians to gain a deeper understanding of their career trajectories, their social relationships with male and female colleagues, and the dynamics of production, collaboration, and citation within the discipline in which they have built their academic careers, as well as their experiences of discrimination and violence based on sex, ethnicity, class, and age. Rather than providing an exhaustive methodological account, this article seeks to share the insights that emerged from an embodied research approach. That is, I reflect on the effects of engaging with women’s lived experiences in science and the role of sensitivity as a mode of observing scientific practice itself. This process led me to become deeply involved with—and affected by—the lives of the women I research with and for.