A new study based on Mars Desert Research Station commanders' reports reveals differences in female and male leadership behavior. Although both genders are task-focused, women tend to be more positive. The genders also differ in their approach toward their team—while men focus on accomplishments, women emphasize mutual support. According to the author of the study, Inga Popovaitė, a sociologist at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania, the findings suggest that women may be better suited for long-term space missions.
KTU researcher Inga Popovaite at MDRS. Credit: Inga Popovaitė According to the researcher, as of 2021, only three women have served as commanders in the International Space Station during two decades of its operations. Although the space is becoming more diverse, little is known about gender differences in leadership in isolated, confined, and extreme environments. "In 10–20 years when the missions to Mars start, it will be mixed-gender groups that will be sent there. Also, a female astronaut is preparing for a flight to the Moon in a few years. However, there is still a lack of data on women in space due to their low participance in both polar expeditions and space analogs. The dynamics of mixed groups are compared with that of male groups," says Popovaitė, a researcher at KTU Civil Society and Sustainability research group. Aiming to contribute to the small body of literature on the topic, she investigated potential gender differences in leadership in space analog environments. For her study, Popovaitė was using commander reports from the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), a space analog facility in Utah. Space analogs share some characteristics with spaceflight. Such places may exist for other purposes (for example, the Antarctic research stations) or be specifically built to replicate parts of the spaceflight experience. Leaders of both genders are task-focused, but women are more supportive In her study, Popovaitė analyzed the MDRS reports from 2009 to 2016. In total, 824 commander reports with an average length of 348 words (2008 characters) each were analyzed; 277 of them were written by female authors and 541—by the male. There were 27 women commanders…