M
y interest in space has been a long-standing affair, however, after not being blessed with the science-brains, independent research has been my main source of inspiration. Upon my much extensive research, on space in general, theories of space, and so on…I have realised that gender equality within the space industry is something kept relatively under wraps. So why write about gender inequalities in space, something seeming so small? Although it may seem small, the general concept of it lies deeper within our society. If a woman cannot secure an equal place within the space industry, then what else is she not able to do? “It’s a man’s world”: A term that unfortunately conforms to the neglected world of women in space. The evolution, or lack thereof, of women in space, still has extensive room for improvement; this article aims to show you the highlights, disappointments, and reasoning behind women’s journey in space throughout time. With technology constantly evolving one would think that gender equality within space programmes would be the norm, however out of the 566 people who have been to space only 65 of them have been women. So where did these roots of inequality originate from? When NASA first opened in 1950, astronauts were selected from the military pool due to wanting pilots with engineering backgrounds which does make relative sense. However at this time women were not permitted to be pilots, and consequently were not even considered as an option: an automatic disadvantage which isn’t half-surprising. The first man to go to space was Yuri Gagarin in June 1961, and it was three years later in 1963 the first woman Valentina Tereshkova also spent 70 hours orbiting the earth in space. After that it took a further 10 years for the first American women ``Sally Ride” to make it off the ground. Although the time span between men and women first making it to space was relatively equal, the events and
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