Female astronauts better suited to lead Mars mission
1Female astronauts better suited to lead Mars mission
One of the goals ahead of humanity is to go to Mars in the near future. The world has changed since the Moon mission in the 1960s. Women are taking more active roles in every field. According to a new study, it is more appropriate for a female astronaut to lead a mission to Mars than a man.
Female astronauts are better suited to lead long-term space missions, such as a trip to Mars, according to a new study.
Male leaders preferred team spirit, commitment, and achievements, while female team leaders sought greater mutual support, motivation, and a positive environment.
Both genders were still intensely task-oriented.
Researchers analyzed 824 commander reports from the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, which replicated part of his spaceflight experience.
From 2009 to 2016, there were 27 female commanders who submitted 277 reports and 49 male commanders who wrote 541.
Study author Professor Inga Popovaite, a sociologist at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania, suggested that their findings suggest that women may be better suited for long-term space missions.
“When missions to Mars begin in 10-20 years, it will be mixed-sex groups that will be sent there,” Popovaite said. As part of NASA's plans to go to the Moon again, a female astronaut is preparing to fly to the Moon in a few years.
"While traditionally male leaders are thought of as task-oriented and women more social leaders, my research has shown that both male and female commanders are equally focused on task completion. The only difference was that women encouraged their teams more often with positive supportive messages," said Inga Popovaite.
As of 2021, only three women served as commanders during the two decades of the International Space Station's operations.
While the field is becoming more diverse, little is known about gender differences in leadership in isolated, confined and extreme settings.
The team analyzed all reports with an average length of 348 words.
After performing several types of analysis, the KTU researcher identified certain differences in the communication of male and female commanders.
First, reports of female leaders had significantly higher positive emotion scores and significantly lower negative emotion scores.
Second, although both male and female commanders exhibited task-oriented leadership behavior, female commanders spoke to crew members more frequently.
In such discussions, male commanders focused on team spirit, loyalty and achievements, while women focused on mutual support, motivation and a positive environment.
Third, the findings revealed that female commanders tended to use less specific words when talking about their daily activities.
"The findings are in line with the theory that women are more social, social leaders than men," Popovaite said.
THEY SHOW LESS ANGRY
She said that while leadership traits are culturally compatible with men, female leaders are encouraged to be more socially positive and avoid showing negative emotions such as anger.
These features are more useful in long-term tasks where long-term isolation, confinement, and limited resources, as well as interpersonal conflicts, can compromise team success.
Popovaite added:
Participation in a simulated space mission is not just about adventure, excitement and exploration.
During the mission, the crew mainly perform mundane tasks such as cooking, washing the dishes and tidying the environment.
In these environments, people have to survive for long periods without the emotional and psychological support of their family and friends.
That's why a leader who cares about the emotional needs of his team becomes more sustainable, especially in the later stages of the mission.