Current projects
Gender in subdisciplines of physics. In some sub-disciplines of physics or the respective associations lower female proportions are observed than in others. The question is, therefore, what connections exist between the specialized culture and the gender distribution of a sub-discipline of physics. To approach this question, we examine the formal and informal networks of physicists on the one hand, and the influence of women's participation on specialized culture. In doing so, physicists working in an academic context are interviewed by means of an online survey about their professional activity in a specific physical field, but above all their professional and personal networks. Project start: February2018.
Women & MINT in the media. The project examines the presentation of women & MINT as well as women & physics in the context of the media coverage by means of content analysis. Roughly, a distinction can be made between a more quantitative level, which inquires about the frequency of occurrence of the subjects of investigation in the media, and a more qualitative level, on which the manner of reporting is of interest. The diversity of the media landscape is so big that a complete investigation does not seem possible. It is therefore necessary to focus on specific types of media. The project examines selected online editions of various daily and weekly newspapers according to specific criteria, thus bridging the gap between the classic medium of the daily paper and the new medium of the Internet. Project start: May 2017.
"The female physicists: between patrons and gazers." Women in men's professions and the bystander experience of their colleagues (working title).
Dissertation research project by Valerie Dahl. Using the example of physicists, this project examines how the working conditions of employees in male-dominated occupations are shaped. The research is based on the model "The Established and the Outsiders" of sociologist Norbert Elias, which explains social segregation with unequal power relations. Center of the work is the so-called "bystander experience", which deals with the effects on third parties who perceive or fear harassment of (relatives of) marginalized groups. Project start: October 2016.