Uncovering Impact of Workplace Cultures in Scientific Participation - Essay Sample

Introduction

The authors of the article "Break the Pattern! A critical enquiry into three scientific workplace cultures: Hercules, Caretakers, and Worker Bees" are "Cathrine Hasse and Stine Trentemoller." The primary intent of the article is to determine the impact of the way of life of a people in evaluating their workplace and participation in the scientific. They hypothesize that there exist three cultures in a science workplace, which include Hercules, Caretakers, and Worker Bees. The hypotheses for the rationale of variations of women serving in the scientific departments due to the distinct perceptions held regarding female education, their participation in the social events, and the child support attendance accorded to all children irrespective of their gender (Hasse & Trentemoller 14). The research questions aimed at determining how cultural aspects such as gender and religion contributed to hindering the extensive participation of women in physics professions.

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Project Design

The project design comprised of successive seminars in addition to the innovation seminar. The methods used in collecting information were participant observations and in-depth interviews of the physicists of both the female and male gender. Collecting empirical data required the use of ethnographic interviews as it involves the use of informal phrases with follow-up questions (Hasse & Trentemoller 34). Academic research and cultural-historical were used in creating a theoretical framework of the research.

Authors interpret the collected information using social and cultural perspectives. They hold that learning has its basis on the shared cultural models between physicists and other people. Also, the use of cultural models for a family where they perceive that balancing between family and scientific career is challenging, especially for women who have the social role of nurturing and caring for children and executing household chores. Hercules, Work Bees, and Caretaker are the three ideal cultures found in science workplaces, and the models employed in differentiating them are gender, power relations, work relation, competition, and workplace identity.

There is a notable underrepresentation of women in the top-level academic positions as the shift from capitalism to the current "market-driven economies" harmed their employment. National cultures usually affect the intake of female students in scientific jobs. The use of qualitative research design, participant observations, and interviews in the collection of data was essential in allowing the researcher to get answers directly from the participant and incorporate the bodily cues manifested by the participant in making inferences. Most of the participants in the interview had experienced the cultural barrier to pursuing physics in their education. Besides, there was a gathering of firsthand information, and its levels of accuracy were very high.

Workplace culture entails the way of doing things within an organization, and it incorporates the cultural aspects and traditions upheld by the employees. Gender is one of the causes of inequality among male and female scientist workers. Hercules, Work Bee, and Caretaker are the three cultures that emerge in scientific work set up (Hasse & Trentemoller 203). Understanding the divergence in the representation of women in physics requires combining the empirical data from the real stories with the degree of abstraction obtained from the ideal types. The cultural models act as the barriers that form ceiling for the women hindering their progress in career.

Work Cited

Hasse, Cathrine, and Stine Trentemoller. Break the pattern! A critical enquiry into three scientific workplace cultures: Hercules, caretakers, and worker bees. UPGEM, 2008.