Gustafson P E
Department of Sociology, Göteborg University, Sweden.
Risk Anal. 1998 Dec;18(6):805-11. doi: 10.1023/b:rian.0000005926.03250.c0.
A substantial body of risk research indicates that women and men differ in their perceptions of risk. This paper discusses how they differ and why. A review of a number of existing empirical studies of risk perception points at several problems, regarding what gender differences are found in such studies, and how these differences are accounted for. Firstly, quantitative approaches, which have so far dominated risk research, and qualitative approaches give different, sometimes even contradictory images of women's and men's perceptions of risk. Secondly, the gender differences that appear are often left unexplained, and even when explanations are suggested, these are seldom related to gender research and gender theory in any systematic way. This paper argues that a coherent, theoretically informed gender perspective on risk is needed to improve the understanding of women's and men's risk perceptions. An analysis of social theories of gender points out some relations and distinctions which should be considered in such a perspective. It is argued that gender structures, reflected in gendered ideology and gendered practice, give rise to systematic gender differences in the perception of risk. These gender differences may be of different kinds, and their investigation requires the use of qualitative as well as quantitative methods. In conclusion, the arguments about gender and risk perception are brought together in a theoretical model which might serve as a starting point for further research.
大量风险研究表明，女性和男性对风险的认知存在差异。本文探讨了他们的差异所在及原因。对一些现有的风险认知实证研究进行回顾后发现了若干问题，涉及此类研究中发现的性别差异以及如何解释这些差异。首先，迄今为止在风险研究中占主导地位的定量方法和定性方法，对女性和男性的风险认知给出了不同的、有时甚至相互矛盾的描述。其次，出现的性别差异往往未得到解释，即便有人提出了解释，这些解释也很少以任何系统的方式与性别研究和性别理论相关联。本文认为，需要一种连贯的、有理论依据的性别视角来加深对女性和男性风险认知的理解。对社会性别理论的分析指出了在这种视角下应考虑的一些关系和区别。有人认为，体现在性别化意识形态和性别化实践中的性别结构，导致了在风险认知上出现系统性的性别差异。这些性别差异可能有不同类型，对它们的研究需要运用定性和定量方法。总之，关于性别与风险认知的各种观点被整合进一个理论模型，该模型可作为进一步研究的起点。
