Reflections on gender, science and scientific careers from the perspective of teachers at the federal university of the pampa

Abstract

Science, being part of human construction, reproduces within itself certain sociocultural values, thus constituting itself in an androcentric and sexist way, which, for a long time, restricted and excluded women from its context. This research, of an exploratory qualitative nature, anchored in Cultural and Gender Studies, from a post-structuralism perspective, aimed, through the use of questionnaires, to investigate some elements of the scientific career of female professors at the Federal University, as well as their conceptions of what science is and how to be a scientist. We noticed, from the research, that science is still "inhospitable" to women, who still encounter barriers and difficulties to remain and rise in the scientific career, especially in areas considered masculine. It was also possible to notice that the teachers' conceptions of what science is and how to be a scientist are constituted around doing research and possessing certain characteristics, such as curiosity, restlessness, and the search for innovation.