Gendered Interactions at Adult Science Entertainment Events

• In Event: Informal Science Institutions and Equity: Future-Oriented Historiography of Research and Practice

Abstract

Objective. As informal science education (ISE) expands to adult audiences through new formats that meld nights out on the town with opportunities to do and talk science, it confronts a new set of questions about who enjoys, learns from, and is empowered by these experiences and who does not. This project explores gender equity in adult science entertainment events (ASEEs). We ask: (1) How do the context and format of ASEEs influence gendered interaction around science? (2) How do gendered interactions at these events shape participants’ perceptions of their own science identity, who can do science, and how science is done?

Theoretical framework. We draw on the idea that gender is performed in context (Butler, 1990; Gutiérrez & Rogoff, 2007). People who attend these events bring in ideas about gender, science, and the relationship between them, as well as accustomed ways of interacting (Wagner & Berger, 1997; Wood & Karten, 1984). The design and implementation of ASEEs can encourage narrowly constrained forms of gendered interaction—those characteristic of “dating,” for example—or broaden how people express and respond to gender in the context of science. We expect the relationship to be bidirectional: the salience of science in a particular social context (e.g., science museum) will affect how people express and respond to gender, but the heightened salience of gender (e.g., dating) will also affect how people respond to science.

Methods and Data Sources. We employed a mixed methods design involving interviews, focus groups, and participant observation to produce thick descriptions of gendered interactions around science at a cross-section of ASEEs in one mid-sized city. Interview and focus group participants were recruited at ASEEs as well as through relevant listservs, sponsoring organizations, and social media groups. Multiple data sources offered a layered perspective on each event and enabled triangulation of key findings.

Results. Data collection is ongoing, but preliminary results suggest that ASEE events are often framed by both planners and participants as dating venues or opportunities to meet romantic partners, heightening the salience of narrower gender roles. For instance, gendered behavior patterns emerge around who offers an explanation (typically male-identifying participants) or who takes the lead in art/craft activities (typically female-identifying participants). Forthcoming analysis will examine contrasting patterns of interaction in science-at-the-bar vs. museum-after-hours events.

Scholarly significance. Although gender is a familiar topic in ISE, this study is among the first to examine gendered interactions in adult-oriented informal science programming. By expanding the study of gender equity in ISE to include these increasingly popular formats, this project offers new insight into gender equity in informal science and lays the foundation for a robust program of equity-oriented research on ASEEs. Gender affects how people experience and learn from ISE programs. These novel formats have the potential to disrupt or reinforce gender inequities, shaping how women in particular view and interact with science in their adult lives.

Authors

• Corinna P. West, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Noah Weeth Feinstein, University of Wisconsin - Madison