Will gender bias follow us to Mars and beyond?

By Rogers Media

It was supposed to be a historic moment—the first all-female spacewalk. And then it was cancelled, for reasons that only reinforced the need for it. But space is unforgiving, and the slightest slip can be fatal, so when a second suit in a woman’s size couldn’t be found, there was no other choice. Instead of a legendary achievement towards equality, the world got a good look at the challenges facing women in traditionally male-dominated fields.

It’s a problem that goes beyond spacesuits—but when physician and astronaut Shawna Pandya heard the news, she recognized a phenomenon she’d experienced everywhere in her career, from the operating room to a simulation of a mission to Mars. We used to say the world is made for men—does that apply to space, too? Even in 2019?

GUEST: Shawna Pandya, physician and citizen scientist-astronaut candidate
http://media.blubrry.com/thebigstory/p/radio.pmd.rogersdigitalmedia.com/podcasts/thebigstory/tbs_04032019.mp3?_=1

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