Visiting scholar Louise van Oudenhove: A French pest control researcher visiting the division of gender studies

What brings you to Örebro?

I am a natural scientist, working on insect behavior in the context of crop protection.  At first glance, this seems to have no connection at all with Örebro University, nor with gender studies!

As a feminist involved in equality policies in my institute, I enjoy reading literature on gender and feminist theories, especially those that question the ways in which our societies and scientific disciplines are structured. In this context, I discovered the work of Malin Ah-King, and it blew my mind! Malin’s work brilliantly demonstrates how our conceptions of gender impacts the way we do science, especially us “natural scientists”, who are often convinced of our own objectivity… I found it fascinating to realize how our culture, our education, and our personal experiences can shape the questions we ask, and, more importantly, to wonder how we can become aware of these influences and try to reprogram our inner software!

Inspired by Malin’s work I wondered if I could do something similar? Would I be able to step back from my own research activities and analyze why we practice sciences the way we do? Would Malin Ah-King be willing to guide me in this direction? I gave it a try, and she agreed to welcome me to Örebro!

What are your research findings?

I focused on crop protection strategies aimed at reducing insect pest fertility. Drawing on the existing literature, I analyzed these strategies, their underlying assumptions, and their applications from a gender perspective.

To give one example, the strategy known as “mating disruption” consists of releasing the sex pheromones of a given species in order to confuse individuals and reduce the probability of mating. Nearly all of the pheromones used mimic those produced by females and are designed to confuse males. But are there no male-produced pheromones that could be used to confuse females? Could female-produced pheromones also confuse females? Are we constrained by the traditional conception of active males and passive females? These are the kinds of questions I sought to address.

What has it been like for you to be a guest researcher here?

I enjoyed the double novelty of my stay: the environment (a new country, a new city, a new university, new people, and so on) and the scientific perspective. As a biologist with a background in mathematics, the way I usually approach scientific questions and the methodologies I use are very different from those of scholars in the humanities and social sciences. In fact, this interdisciplinarity was precisely what I was looking for, and the Gender Studies division at Örebro University was the perfect place for it.

My working life here has been very enjoyable. I could participate in team meetings, have stimulating discussions with colleagues during fikas or lunches, and enjoy the rich social life of the Gender Studies group. I had my own office, which was particularly convenient, as I still had many online meetings, students, and research projects to manage in France during this period.

I would have liked to stay longer, though! I still have so much to learn about methodologies such as discourse analysis, interviews, and other qualitative approaches. I would also have liked to explore equality policies and compare them with those implemented in France. I suppose I will simply have to come back!

What has your family been doing here?

I came with my partner and my two children, aged eight and ten. My partner is a researcher at the same institute as me and was hosted by the Biology Department at ORU. My children attended a Swedish school. During the first two weeks, they were enrolled in a special program designed for newly arrived children who do not speak Swedish, thereafter they were integrated into a regular public school with children their own age and they also attended Fritids after school. Enrolling was a bit of a cumbersome process, but the Municipality of Örebro was extremely helpful and guided us through all the administrative steps.

Do you have any reflections on the differences between France and Sweden?  

I had strong stereotypes about Swedish people. I expected them to be almost completely egalitarian when it came to gender relations, with children being raised in a nearly gender-neutral way and with remarkable educational practices. I was surprised to discover that, in this respect, Sweden was not so different from France.

Of course, there are more fathers taking care of children in parks than in France. I remember being surprised to see groups of fathers with children, even babies, without any women around, as this would be far less common in France. However, after talking with other parents, I also realized that, in Sweden as well, household organization and relations with the schools are still largely managed by mothers.

Regarding gender-neutral children, I could not have been more wrong, at least when it comes to children the age of my daughters. Both of them (in grades 2 and 4) made friends, but only with other girls. Although they have more girl than boy friends in France as well, I was surprised to observe such a clear divide between girls and boys at such a young age. When I asked them why, my youngest daughter replied, “Boys are just fooling around and messing about!” My oldest agreed, adding that they are “a lost cause”… I was also surprised by how “girly” the girls in Sweden seemed to be. In France, children are not allowed to go to school wearing make-up or very revealing clothes.

The only observation that supported my expectation of gender neutrality concerned football. In Sweden, most children, regardless of gender, liked and played football.

Regarding school pedagogy, what we observed was a kind of “let-it-be” approach, with as few rules as possible and that the classroom often felt chaotic. When asked what they would remember about Swedish school, both girls answered: “Freedom.” In comparison, French schools shape children to sit still, concentrate, and learn whenever they are asked to do so. This may facilitate academic learning, but it can also be difficult, or even harsh, for children who do not fit into the mold. Swedish schools, by contrast, seem to allow children to develop in their own way, with the long-term expectation that they will gradually acquire knowledge and skills and eventually become calm and respectful adults.

Another aspect of pedagogy that surprised us was the extent to which digital technologies are integrated into schools in Sweden. In the Swedish schools, the girls were given tablets with translation applications, so that both they and their teachers could speak their own languages and rely on the tablet to translate. Moreover, my oldest daughter was given a laptop with unrestricted access to the internet. I do not think this would happen in France. Although children are getting their own smartphones at increasingly younger ages, schools generally try to protect them from inappropriate online content, and they would not normally have unsupervised access to the internet during school hours.

I think that what impressed me most in Sweden was the feeling of living in a society based on trust and freedom. Unlike in France, Sweden does not seem to assume that people will abuse public goods or cheat in general. This makes everyday life both simpler and sweeter. First, schools are open, whereas in France parents are not allowed to enter the schoolyard and must wait for staff members to bring their children to them. Second, I wanted to borrow books from the city library, so I applied for a library card and received it immediately. In France, I would have had to prove that I actually lived in the city by providing official documents. Third, in Örebro, there are many natural areas equipped with designed barbecue spots supplied with firewood, and everyone is encouraged to use both the facilities and the wood. I doubt that such a system would exist in France: municipalities would probably be concerned that people might take all the wood to heat their own homes. The fourth example concerns diversity. In France, it is not allowed for Muslim women to wear Hijab at school or while working for public institutions. These rules generate forms of legal discrimination against Muslim women, and anti-immigration movements often use the hijab as a symbol to fuel hostility towards Muslims. In Sweden, by contrast, I had the feeling that the state is more respectful of the identities and cultures of the different people who make up society. In schools, parents are asked about the dietary preferences they would like for their children. Beliefs and cultures seem to be respected, at least at the institutional level.

My very last point about our Swedish experience concerns the strong connection with nature. Sweden is a vast country, with extensive forests and many natural areas. Örebro is a relatively small city, and within ten minutes by bike, it is possible to reach the countryside. Moreover, even within the city itself, there are numerous parks filled with beautiful trees and flowers. I have only been here during spring and summer, so my impressions may be incomplete, but I truly fell in love with the Swedish greens and blues: the forests, the lakes, and the light… Perhaps this feeling is also related to the low population density, but I found Sweden to be calm and peaceful, and I greatly appreciated it.