Gender & Ethics, Science and Health

Question 2

What is the difference between ethics and morals?

Answer 2

Morals are subjective to individual’s perception of right and wrong whereas ethics are objective code of practice/ rules by external sources (depending on the discipline).

Earlier viewpoint of science were free of values

Question 3

What is the importance of having ethics in science?

Answer 3

Ethics are important in science because they help ensure that research is conducted in a responsible and ethical manner.

Question 4

What are the 4 fundamental principles of ethics?

Answer 4

Autonomy- respecting a person’s freedom to do whats right for them

Beneficence- Do good/ provide benefit for all

Non-maleficence- avoiding and preventing harm

Justice- fairness and equity

Question 5

What were the ethical concerns during covid?

Answer 5

• Mask and vaccine mandate violates autonomy.
• Some vaccines caused harm to individuals which violates benevolence.
• Some countries got vaccine later than others which violates justice.

Question 6

What is the code of conduct for reserahcers and scientists?

Answer 6

• Honesty
• Fairness
• Peer and expert reviews
• Intellectual freedom

Question 7

Why do we take norms and guidelines into consideration?

Answer 7

• promotes the aims of research
• promotes values essential for collaborative work
• ensure that researchers are held accountable

Question 8

Case Studies

What are some ethical issues?

Answer 8

• Eugenics issue- attempting to improve the human race
• Abortion- when does life begin?

Question 9

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Answer 9

Sex is one’s biological makeup whereas Gender is socially and culturally defined.

Sex refers to biological physical differences, while gender is how people identify.

Question 10

What is the gender concept?

Answer 10

• Complex, fluid & multifaceted
• Changeable over time
• Interacts with other variables eg: social class
• Wide variations both within and between cultures

Question 11

What is gender equality?

Answer 11

Ability of both women and men to enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society (wages etc).

Question 12

Factors perpetuating gender stem gaps

Gender Inequality in science

Answer 12

• Gender stereotypes- STEM is viewed as masculine
• Male-Dominated Cultures- Traditional roles unsupportive of women
• Fewer role models- no female representation
• Science/Math anxiety

Question 13

How can we achieve gender equality in STEM?

Answer 13

• Develop policies and systems (education etc)
• Change institutional norms
• Equal access
• Mitigating risks associated wth science and technology
• Role models

Question 14

Horizontal vs. Vertical Segregation

Answer 14

Vertical (glass ceiling)- more men have decision making positions and women hold lower positions.

Horizontal- Greater number of men in STEM and more women in Humanities, Social Sciences

Question 15

What are some other challenges to gender inequality?

Answer 15

• Harassment & Bullying
• Inflexible working practices
• Undervaluing of roles and occupations
• Discrimination

Question 16

What is the concept of gender and health?

Answer 16

Gender-based differences in life expectancy, healthy life years, health behaviours, mortality, and morbidity risks exist.

Question 17

What are the factors influencing men’s lag in health?

Answer 17

• Biological- Hormones, Chromosomes etc
• Behavioural- risky behaviours, substance abuse, diet, lack of exercise
• Social- work stress, cultural traditions

Question 18

Factors influencing women’s health

Answer 18

• Social- early marriage, gender inequality
• Cultural- traditions
• Economic- schooling, socio-economic standing
• Health- hormonal deficiency, repetitive pregnancy

Question 19

How do sex and gender impact health?

Answer 19

• Sex can affect diseases through genetics (men experince more hospitalizations and deaths during covid)
• Gender can impact exposure to diseases and access to healthcare (men have higher chances of acquiring covid due to social parctices eg. no handwashing)

women get sicker but men die quicker

Question 20

How does gender inequality impact health?

Answer 20

• women have less control over their bodies (unintended pregnancies, STDs etc)
• Barriers to accessing health information (limited access to finances)
• Gender-diverse people are more likely to experience violence, discrimination and more from health workers

Question 21

How do we achieve gender equality in health?

Answer 21

• Legislation reform
• Research in women’s health issues
• Gender-mainstreaming health policies
• Debunk the notion of women as property
• Changing status of women as caregivers/nurturers