GENDER DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSES TO NEWS ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Women and men respond differently to mock news stories about new developments in science and technology, with women associating more risk (p less-than-or-equal-to .05) and less benefit (p less-than-or-equal-to .05) than do men with reported developments overall. Interview data were used to construct a survey instrument designed to probe for differences in underlying attitudes that might explain this outcome. Results from administration of the questionnaire reveal that women are more likely than men to agree with 'antiscience' statements. The assertion that women and men can be thought of as members of distinct cultures is invoked to provide a theoretical explanation for the data.