Start Date
28-6-2010 10:45 AM
End Date
28-6-2010 12:15 PM
Description
This presentation is part of the Science and Values: Global Perspectives track.
Science is very much recognized as giving new life to mankind and this new life means advancement or progress. Science is utilitarian because its discoveries and inventions satisfy human needs. Feminists perceive these impacts of science and technology though there exists a negative side of science and technology about which feminists are critical. Sal Restivo blames science as responsible for generating new social problems, which Sandra Harding accounted positively. Harding evaluates science and technology as both progressive and regressive.1 I shall analyze Harding’s feminist views of science and then I shall explain the standpoint of women scientists of Bangladesh.
I
Is science value free? Can science ignore ethics? Sometimes it is said that science cannot be blamed from such standpoints. But feminists hold that science presents theories and develop technologies which are used to the domination of race, class and gender. Science is blamed for hiding this fact in various ways.
The claim that science is value neutral is wrong. Scientists cannot overlook the consequences of the ideas, beliefs or conceptions which they uphold. Scientists are consciously and intentionally involved in their approach to new inventions and as such cannot be indifferent to the social consequences.
Feminists reject the claim that science is value neutral; they say, “theoretical science is pure science but often misused and abused”. New reproductive technologies have been strongly opposed by the feminists as these technologies have immense adverse effects on women’s health. Feminists for long time are opposing new reproductive technologies on several grounds especially that these have detrimental effects on women bodies which eventually lower women’s positions in the misogynous cultures. Moreover, these reproductive technologies restrict women’s reproductive choices widely. Thus it is observed that scientific researches and related inventions have been largely biased by sexism and androcentrism. Renowned feminist, such as, Sandra Harding, Ruth Hubbard, Carol Gilligan and Anderson hold that sexist and androcentric views are responsible for harmful research in biology and in the social sciences. Carol Gilligan revealed certain facts regarding development of woman personality and morality as necessary for the conduct of social relations which were previously acknowledged as immature, deviant and chaotic. Biological and psychological interpretations emphasize the qualitative traits of male but degraded those of female. Feminists argue that this is because androcentric biases illusioned the research at every stage.2
II
In Bangladesh women are more neglected than men in all the spheres of development. But it is true that women folk must be included in the mainstream development program. Different sociological, anthropological and philosophical studies have taken place in order to find out women problems. This in turn leads to the claim that discrimination level is to be minimized. Women rightists’ groups are very active in this respect. It has been seen that women are lagging behind men in education sector. Education is considered as the most important phenomenon in enhancing women’s position in the society. For women to play role in the development of the country and to fit themselves in decision-making stages they need education urgently.
In Bangladesh the visibility of women in public sphere began during the twentieth century but it was a slow process. With the liberation of the country women began to appear in public sphere on socio-politico-economical grounds. But opportunities for women were not equal. But gradually more and more women appeared in public service, and the social atmosphere seemed to be liberal for women. But now-a-days there exists a mixed attitude regarding women’s outward workplace. Large number of people believe the traditional view that women’s primary workplace is the home – the family; but a liberal expectation is growing in the society that women will share the public workplace with men. The liberal ideology supports women’s higher education for women’s higher job opportunity. A large number of women are now seen in public and private offices, and also in banking services. In political areas also number of women appearances increased. Women came forward as business holders in the country. Nevertheless, the conservative ideology as against the liberal ideology is still very influential in the country.
I shall also explain women scientists’ perceptions of science. In Bangladesh there are few women scientists (i.e., those who are university faculty members or are working in the areas of medicine and technology) because girls are not encouraged for science study. Moreover, women in scientific research and workplace are not much interested in feminist matters. Generally, women in science believe that science is objective, logical and a rational pursuit. As such we find that like the western scientists here also women scientists uphold the concept of value-free pure science and do not consider the misuse of technology.
Women scientists, except a few, do not believe that there is any biasness between science and nature. They think that the questions of manipulating and degrading the nature are philosophical questions, that is to say value question, not scientific questions. Women scientists like to measure things from the social point of view, for example, the social problem they face is called the gendered family roles problem. No matter whether women are scientists they have to maintain their gender roles – this is the pressure they feel. Beyond this, they do not like to respond to the question whether science is ‘male’ oriented or the question that the manner their research is structured is a ‘male’ one. It appears that women scientists have less thought to feminist questions also.
In Bangladesh women scientists are more involved in their struggle to place themselves in the line of male-stream scientists for which they avoid to participate actively in feminist movement. Once they take this stronghold position in their field, they will open the path for their next generation scientists to see clearly what the social scientists are seeing, i.e., to see philosophical questions. This will enable them to challenge the regressive part of sciences.
Included in
Women's Perception of Science: Theory and Practice
This presentation is part of the Science and Values: Global Perspectives track.
Science is very much recognized as giving new life to mankind and this new life means advancement or progress. Science is utilitarian because its discoveries and inventions satisfy human needs. Feminists perceive these impacts of science and technology though there exists a negative side of science and technology about which feminists are critical. Sal Restivo blames science as responsible for generating new social problems, which Sandra Harding accounted positively. Harding evaluates science and technology as both progressive and regressive.1 I shall analyze Harding’s feminist views of science and then I shall explain the standpoint of women scientists of Bangladesh.
I
Is science value free? Can science ignore ethics? Sometimes it is said that science cannot be blamed from such standpoints. But feminists hold that science presents theories and develop technologies which are used to the domination of race, class and gender. Science is blamed for hiding this fact in various ways.
The claim that science is value neutral is wrong. Scientists cannot overlook the consequences of the ideas, beliefs or conceptions which they uphold. Scientists are consciously and intentionally involved in their approach to new inventions and as such cannot be indifferent to the social consequences.
Feminists reject the claim that science is value neutral; they say, “theoretical science is pure science but often misused and abused”. New reproductive technologies have been strongly opposed by the feminists as these technologies have immense adverse effects on women’s health. Feminists for long time are opposing new reproductive technologies on several grounds especially that these have detrimental effects on women bodies which eventually lower women’s positions in the misogynous cultures. Moreover, these reproductive technologies restrict women’s reproductive choices widely. Thus it is observed that scientific researches and related inventions have been largely biased by sexism and androcentrism. Renowned feminist, such as, Sandra Harding, Ruth Hubbard, Carol Gilligan and Anderson hold that sexist and androcentric views are responsible for harmful research in biology and in the social sciences. Carol Gilligan revealed certain facts regarding development of woman personality and morality as necessary for the conduct of social relations which were previously acknowledged as immature, deviant and chaotic. Biological and psychological interpretations emphasize the qualitative traits of male but degraded those of female. Feminists argue that this is because androcentric biases illusioned the research at every stage.2
II
In Bangladesh women are more neglected than men in all the spheres of development. But it is true that women folk must be included in the mainstream development program. Different sociological, anthropological and philosophical studies have taken place in order to find out women problems. This in turn leads to the claim that discrimination level is to be minimized. Women rightists’ groups are very active in this respect. It has been seen that women are lagging behind men in education sector. Education is considered as the most important phenomenon in enhancing women’s position in the society. For women to play role in the development of the country and to fit themselves in decision-making stages they need education urgently.
In Bangladesh the visibility of women in public sphere began during the twentieth century but it was a slow process. With the liberation of the country women began to appear in public sphere on socio-politico-economical grounds. But opportunities for women were not equal. But gradually more and more women appeared in public service, and the social atmosphere seemed to be liberal for women. But now-a-days there exists a mixed attitude regarding women’s outward workplace. Large number of people believe the traditional view that women’s primary workplace is the home – the family; but a liberal expectation is growing in the society that women will share the public workplace with men. The liberal ideology supports women’s higher education for women’s higher job opportunity. A large number of women are now seen in public and private offices, and also in banking services. In political areas also number of women appearances increased. Women came forward as business holders in the country. Nevertheless, the conservative ideology as against the liberal ideology is still very influential in the country.
I shall also explain women scientists’ perceptions of science. In Bangladesh there are few women scientists (i.e., those who are university faculty members or are working in the areas of medicine and technology) because girls are not encouraged for science study. Moreover, women in scientific research and workplace are not much interested in feminist matters. Generally, women in science believe that science is objective, logical and a rational pursuit. As such we find that like the western scientists here also women scientists uphold the concept of value-free pure science and do not consider the misuse of technology.
Women scientists, except a few, do not believe that there is any biasness between science and nature. They think that the questions of manipulating and degrading the nature are philosophical questions, that is to say value question, not scientific questions. Women scientists like to measure things from the social point of view, for example, the social problem they face is called the gendered family roles problem. No matter whether women are scientists they have to maintain their gender roles – this is the pressure they feel. Beyond this, they do not like to respond to the question whether science is ‘male’ oriented or the question that the manner their research is structured is a ‘male’ one. It appears that women scientists have less thought to feminist questions also.
In Bangladesh women scientists are more involved in their struggle to place themselves in the line of male-stream scientists for which they avoid to participate actively in feminist movement. Once they take this stronghold position in their field, they will open the path for their next generation scientists to see clearly what the social scientists are seeing, i.e., to see philosophical questions. This will enable them to challenge the regressive part of sciences.