Cross-cultural analysis on the gender equality perception as a driver for the future space workforce development

Alice Pellegrino, Marzia Zucchelli, Federica Angeletti, Aloisia Russo, Alessia Gloder, Maria Giulia Pancalli, Eleonora Vestito, Naoko Yamazaki, Rei Kawashima, Akiko Otsuka, Norilmi Ismail, Annamaria Nassisi, Cristina Valente, Maria Libera Battagliere, Maria Fabrizia Buongiorno

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Workplace gender equality is achieved when people can access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of gender. However, creating a culture of equality in the working environment is a challenging goal likely to “not be attained for 99.5 years” (Workplace Gender Equality Agency). After the definition in September 2015 of “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals'' by the United Nations General Assembly, several international programs have been promoted to encourage a gender-inclusive environment, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. In this framework, the Rome Local Group (LG) of Women in Aerospace Europe (WIA-E) is collaborating with other international aerospace organizations to promote Gender Equality principles. As next step, WIA-E Rome LG started a cooperation with the Japanese women in aerospace organization (Sorajo) and UNISEC Global to overcome regional barriers and to promote activities for increasing the general awareness about dynamics and benefits of Gender Equality, recognized as fundamental for professional development. Consequently, an innovative approach was proposed to investigate how a different cultural environment could affect the Person Perception on Gender Inequality in the Aerospace sector (including professionals, researchers and students) to eventually identify the unconscious bias and highlight possible causes. In detail, this paper describes the results and outcomes obtained from the analysis of data collected during the dedicated “Gender Equality in Space Field” Panel Discussion, organized in December 2019 in Japan, and the online Round Table titled “Parità di Genere nell'ambito Aerospaziale Italiano”, organized in May 2020 in Italy. Finally, Pilot Survey was shared online in Italy and Japan to investigate the participants' responses and to highlight any possible similarities and differences between these two cultures. A better understanding of people's perspective and opinions about Gender Inequality is fundamental to define a suitable strategy aiming at proposing solutions to address gender inequality issues and support the future space workforce development in both countries.

Original languageEnglish
JournalProceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC
Volume2020-October
Publication statusPublished - 2020
Externally publishedYes
Event71st International Astronautical Congress, IAC 2020 - Virtual, Online
Duration: 2020 Oct 122020 Oct 14

Keywords

  • Aerospace
  • Equality
  • Perception
  • STEM
  • WIA-E
  • Women

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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