“Statistics show that all-woman groups are far more likely to choose non-confrontational approaches to solve interpersonal problems, and most definitely are more likely to deal with a situation without resorting to violence, which could be a big problem on a Mars journey, where the crew must live in close quarters for 2-3 years,” Landis wrote. “Numerous sociological studies have shown that women, in general, are more cooperative, and less given to hierarchical social structures.”
I assume that one vets the team members and tests the team to make sure they work together well.
All male expeditions, at least those that demand a lot of physical effort, are known to work successfully: until they don't.
But I seem to remember reading (I obviously wasn't involved) about bitter jockeying for status among junior high and high school girls. It isn't obvious that an all-women crew will be more peaceful. Less violent--probably, though catfights are not uncommon in the high schools. But pathologies ("I'm not talking to her!") could be just as problematic.
I don't think there's a magic bullet for staffing. For a voyage to Mars you want methodical risk-takers who respect each other.
2 comments:
Violence would be a serious problem in space. Granted. Women are in general less likely to be violent. Sure. It does not follow that an all-woman Mars team would get along better and make better decisions. It doesn't even follow that it would be less violent. We choose male teams to work together that aren't violent all the time. In my career of fifty years I never saw a work situation settled by violence. I worked in a few predominantly male settings and many predominantly female. If I had to choose for people getting along and making decisions for nonpersonal reasons I would choose the males. Though that might simply be my male preference for certain types of interactions and decisions. I'm not sure what we would put forward as objective evidence on the matter.
If size is the main reason, then why not send small men? Aren't most jockeys small men?
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