TITLE:
Gender Discrimination and Well-Being: The Case of Physics inside the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Sector in Italy
AUTHORS:
Federica D’Isanto, Grazia Barone, Maria Rosaria Masullo
KEYWORDS:
Gender Discrimination, Gender Diversity, Working Conditions, Work Organization, Quality of Life, Work Psychology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Philosophy,
Vol.11 No.4,
October
19,
2021
ABSTRACT: This paper analyses the phenomenon of gender discrimination in the
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sector, which has
always been known for its strong
segregation, both horizontal and vertical. Our purpose is to uncover more
hidden mechanisms of gender discrimination, such as those that refer to
the implemented organizational models. The sample used is the universe of the
INFN (National Institute for Nuclear Physics) division in Naples (Italy). For
our study, we used semi-structured interviews and an interpretation model as
one of the structural inferences. The results show that the organizational models
adopted by INFN penalize women, but often men too, which can be traced to the
way society and the labor market are structured. In general, the interviewees
showed enthusiasm to work in the research field, even if in this context the
adopted work organization model was limited and restricted, unable to value
diversity and transversal skills. A different perception of time management
between women and men leads in the former to a feeling of dichotomy as a source
of malaise. Consequently, it can be said that there is a form of inequality (or
discrimination) related to women’s well-being and that they have a worse quality of life.