Is outer space patriarchal?
By: Shaheera Sami
It’s been 60 years since humans made their maiden journey into
space and have been exploring it since. To date, more than 600 human beings from
around the world have been to space, landed on the moon and lived on ISS
(international space station) but not to anyone’s surprise only 70 of these were
women. In this time of the 21st century when landing on mars and starting a
colony there is not a topic of surprise to anyone this fact might surprise you
that no woman has yet walked on the moon. The first all-female spacewalk took
place in just 2019! And it is too late for women to still be in the category of
“firsts”. In this blog, we will see if the space itself is not fit for female
bodies or is it us who have made it seem that way.
Effects of space on female bodies
Credits: NASA/NSBRI
Although some factors differ for every individual
irrespective of gender, such as the loss of bone and muscle mass, as shown by
the diagram above women and men bodies are affected differently in space. Female
astronauts are more likely to experience drowsiness and nausea as space motion
sickness (SMS) is more common with women during spaceflights. Inability to stand
without fainting (Orthostatic Intolerance) upon landing is more prevalent in
women as well. Women are more susceptible to radiation-induced cancers although
scientists believe that excess fat around important organs in female bodies
protect them from cosmic radiations. These radiations can also have an impact on
women fertility as studies conducted on male astronauts found that the quality
and number of sperms produced decreases after space travel but are
regenerated unlike in females who are born with all the eggs they need for a
lifetime. Due to these factors, female astronauts are urged to freeze their eggs
before embarking on a space mission and radiation permissible exposure levels
are lower for women than men astronauts.
Credits: NSBRI
Space mission duration
distribution for astronauts and cosmonauts (all nationalities) (1998–2013)
However, women have the advantage over men in various other aspects. The VIIP
syndrome (visual impairment / intracranial pressure) is more common in male
astronauts and all clinically significant cases of visual impairment have been
reported by male astronauts only. Loss of hearing sensitivity with age is more rapid in
male astronauts as well. Male astronauts experience re-entry sickness unlike
women when returned to earth and are less resistant to viral and bacterial
diseases increasing the chances of falling sick during a mission. Studies also found
that women astronauts were slightly better at managing stress and anxiety while
on a long mission than their male counterparts giving them a slight advantage.
Disadvantages for women in space
Although nature has somewhat balanced the effects of space on both genders,
women have been kept out of space due to numerous reasons. Before the famous
all-women spacewalk in 2019, a previously scheduled spacewalk was cancelled as
there were not enough medium-sized spacesuits on the ISS for the three women who
were supposed to go out at the same time. The unavailability of smaller sized
suits to fit the women better was due to the elimination of small and
medium-sized spacesuits back in 1990. NASA had to nix their small-sized suits in
the 1990s due to budget cuts, NPR reported, That meant one-third of the women at
the time were unable to fit into any spacesuits (Prasad, 2019). Only recently
another major issue regarding women comfortability on ISS was addressed in 2020.
As it was a challenge to use the toilet on the ISS for females especially while
menstruating, NASA launched a new model of the toilet which will for the first
time accommodate the specific needs of female astronauts. There has also been a
bias in the hiring process with male candidates selected more often regardless
of their qualification. Lack of role models and encouragement in a male dominant
society has also led to women staying out of space.
Reality vs cinema
Most movies made about space travel depict the reality of insignificant female
representation in space, with rarely a female mission commander cast and more
men to women ratio in a mission team. The 2007 Pixar release, Wall-E was no
exception. It was about how after the earth was made inhabitable all the humans
were shifted onto a spacecraft and lived on it for generations. As in reality,
Male dominance in mission command was seen in the movie as well. In a scene, the
captain of the spacecraft was seen looking at the pictures of the previous
captains who were all males.
The movie was far from reality and failed to
address a major issue of refuelling among other factors. such a huge aircraft in
space for more than 700 years, in reality, will need refuelling more than a
million times and the movie did not show this aspect of such a journey. Although
the movie depicted the loss of bone mass due to microgravity and minimal
movement accurately, it defied the scientific phenomenon of depleted muscle mass
as all aboard the axiom (spacecraft in the movie) were obese. Fan theories have
deduced that the unnatural phenomenon was due to the unseen cannibalism in the
movie! As scientific studies have found out that consuming 1 human’s flesh
provides you with 125,000 calories most of which is turned into adipose tissues
(fat).
This explains the overweighed passengers on the axiom as even with no
physical exercise a person can not be obese unless the intake of calories is
high. This theory is also justified by the fact that there were no dead bodies
seen in the disposal area of the spacecraft and all the food served was slurped
through a straw. Also, the mission had only 5 years worth of food but it was
extended for 650 more years, how did they get 650 years worth of food without
returning to earth? The easiest solution was to blend up the dead passenger and
serve them to the ones alive in a cup
.Final verdict
Space just like the earth
is not biased. There is no discrimination in nature and both genders have their
unique qualities to fit in. However human beings have for ages oppressed women
and created a male dominant society that is not restricted to earth but extends
to space. as we saw space have its limitations and disadvantages for both
genders equally but we humans have created much more problems for females to be
a part of it. the conditions for space travel support females more than male
astronauts in reality. As weight is a crucial factor of any space mission, women
are the better-suited candidates. They are comparatively smaller in size and
their bodies require less oxygen to function than men significantly reducing the
weight and fuel needed for a mission. Women bodies also perform better on
restricted diets and lose weight slower than men which reduces the amount of
food needed for a mission further reducing the weight aboard. Fewer calories
mean less waste out which helps with the reduction of weight to carry on a long
voyage. All these factors clearly show that even though nature has not set
limitations for a specific gender, women have always felt disadvantaged and
inferior due to man-made restrictions in every part of the society that we live
in. It is about time we realise how it is unjust to categorise professions based
on genders and let women excel in all fields.
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49744892
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4235984/#B30
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4236030/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47725946
https://www.nasa.gov/content/men-women-spaceflight-adaptation
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/24/immersion-tank-study-impact-space-travel-on-female-body
https://www.businessinsider.com/space-travel-effects-men-women-differences-2017-5
https://elemental.medium.com/why-womens-bodies-are-better-suited-for-space-travel-dc1e5513ae36
https://www.thelily.com/whats-so-special-about-this-toilet-its-the-first-one-nasa-designed-for-women/
https://vocal.media/geeks/pixar-theory-the-unseen-cannibalism-of-wall-e
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