Space Security and Gender: Incorporating the Gender Perspective into Decision-Making Processes

"Dr Sara Langston discussed the importance of including the gender perspective in decision-making processes for space activities. This included all areas, such as government and civil, peaceful and security related. She stated that values impacted the way people pursued their goals, and more role models were therefore needed in space activities. Women, in particular, offered forward thinking on numerous fronts, introducing a distinct form of problem analysis from that of men. While great minds often think alike, they also think differently. The gender perspective was about introducing a different way of thinking to long-standing debates. Ms Langston outlined four ways in which greater gender representation could help discussions on space security: i) increased interpersonal communications, ii) finding alternative ways to bridge differences of opinions, iii) creative thinking, and iv) collaborative thinking. Furthermore, she stressed the need to examine precisely how data is shared and disseminated, with particular attention being paid to who is receiving the data and who is making decisions based thereon."--From the Conference report.