Why do you think there is so much animosity between Wilkens and Rosalind? Could Rosalind have done anything to diffuse the situation? Would this have been the same if Rosalind had been male?

Wilkens and Rosalind clash from their very first meeting.
Why do you suppose there is so much animosity between them?
Could Rosalind have done anything to diffuse the situation?
Would this level of tension still have been present if Rosalind had been male?

Wilkens was in the wrong, he assumed he was Rosalind's boss, he didn't follow the same strict protocols that Rosalind did, he underhandedly stole her work. I don't necessarily think it was for his own glory, I think he didn't believe a women would come up with important scientific discovery so he thought he could just take the work she did and use it for himself. I don't think Rosalind could have done anything in the situation, maybe stick up for herself more. This would never have happened if she had been a man because Wilkens would have reacted in a completely different way.

Isn't it interesting that the above question only asks what Franklin ( the female) could have done to diffuse the animosity with Wilkens? We don't even ask what Wilkens could have done. On a side note, isn't it interesting that we refer to Rosalind Franklin by her first name, yet use all the males last names. That is often done to both genders when referring to persons of color. Racism and sexism are often very subtle.

Amen, shirleyl.

Wilkins not only stole her work but he actively colluded with Watson and Crick to claim her work as their own! Franklin's death made things easier for the Nobel prize to be awarded to the three men. One has to wonder what would have happened had she lived.

Perhaps a good deal of insecurity on Wilkins' part may have led to much of his bad behavior toward Franklin. He knew that she was smarter, so he had to undercut her at every turn. If Franklin were a man, Wilkins may have had to just swallow his pride and show some respect. With a woman, not so much.
And I definitely agree with shirley!

I agree with Gloria that Wilkins most likely was suffering from insecurity in the face of Rosalind's reputation and obvious dedication and abilities to complete the DNA research. Perhaps if Franklin had not been a female he may have been able to treat her more as an equal. With her being a woman he took advantage of her in aligning his male friends with him in demeaning her. I doubt there was much of anything Rosalind could have done differently.

Things could have been better if Randall had been more forthright about what he expected from Franklin and Wilkins. I don’t know that it was actually realistic to expect Wilkins to stop working on DNA entirely. The atmosphere at King’s College certainly didn’t help matters. Having group lunches in a dining room where women weren’t allowed didn’t help diffuse the tensions.

I think Wilkins immediate attitude towards rosalind set off an animosity between them. There is no way around the fact he thought she was his assistant.I think he immediately felt intimated by her forward way of communicating. If Randall had stood up for Rosalind, things might have worked out differently. I believe if Rosalind had been a man things would have been different. She certainly would have been able to dine with them.

Wilkins, along with Watson and Crick and many other men of that time, were misoginistic. A smart woman was a threat. Rosalind was smarter therefore men had to steal her work to try to beat her at the final discoveries.
To diffuse any situation, Rosalind would need to acquiesce to the men's needs. She was outnumbered. She was not outranked, but even superiors did not want to cause friction. They took the path of least resistance.
Wilkins could have worked in cooperation with Rosalind, but that way he would not achieve his selfish, manly goal.

I'm not sure it would have made a difference if Rosalind had been a male, although maybe the animosity would have appeared slightly different. It seems like Wilkins wanted the credit, but either didn't want to do the work and wasn't capable enough to do the work. I think it also created an issue because Randall wasn't forthright from the beginning about why he hired Rosalind and that DNA was hers to study.