Gender and Technology Looking to the Post

by Denise M. Sbortt have made towards technological there is evidence that women have progress and why these accomplish- even lost power with the introduc- Cet am'ck nowpark dcJ aspects qui se ments have often been ignored. This tion of new technologies. For exam- rapportent h litccks aux technologies, information helps us to understand ple, during the manuscript era of the aux occasions, h li'ntdrtt qu 'clles susci- why women are not embracing the Middle Ages, women managed to tenteth leuracceptationpar ksfcmmer current computer culture at the same exercise some degree of knowledge dans I'bistoire et par les femmes modemes.

A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things. -Admiral , computer pioneer.

Charting a course into the world of technology can be rough sailing for women. Today's computer culture is largely dominated by men and many women have yet to navigate these largely uncharted waters. New tech- nologies have become increasingly important and arguably necessary in some spheres of modern life. In light of this sea of change, it becomes imperative for women to heed the words ofAdmiral Hopper and set sail - - into new territory (Camp). With this message in mind, I have decided to explore the relationship of Gail Geltner, 'Women and Technologies," 1987 women and technology. My inquiry into this relationship is guided by rate as men and why women's voices and power in their roles as nuns. Dale two fundamental educational ques- have largely been left out of the dia- Spender points out that a fewwomen tions: what is needed to make good logue on the potential future uses of such as St. Radegund of Poitiers, the use of new education technologies? new technologies. German scholar Hildegard of Bingen and what can we learn from the past Hence, the purpose of this paper is (1098-1178), as well as the English about the perils and potential of re- to explore the issues ofaccess, oppor- nun Julian ofNorwich (1342-c. 1416) cent developments in information tunity, interest, and acceptance of managed a respectable degree of sta- technology for education? I believe technology in the lives of historical tus in a time otherwise dominated by that we can prepare to answer the and modern women. My examina- men. Yet, immediately after the de- first question by learning from the tion of these issues may provide the velopment of the printing press, lessons of history. groundwork for understanding what women lost their newly won status A thorough examination of his- we as educators need to do in order to and instead were for the most part cut tory with respect to women and tech- close the technological gender gap off from all forms of printed knowl- nology serves several purposes. First, facing women today. edge. we gain a better understanding of For the last few hundred years, which technologies women have used What can we learn from history? women have put their energy into or have been prevented from using in reclaiming their voices, experience, the past and how these technologies Women have been excluded from and presence in all facets of history. have been implemented. Further, we many facets of technologyand educa- The protests of the 1960s and 1970s can discover the contributions women tion throughout history and, in fact, were instrumental in helpingwomen

VOLUME 17, NUMBER 4 to gain a voice and access to informa- Kay AntonelIi, Frances Spence, Jean "women are clearly in less important tion. The establishment of women's Bartik, and pro- positions than men, and their pattern presses, the explosion in women's grammed a machine called the Elec- ofcomputer use is strikingly consist- books, and the introduction ofwom- tronic Numerical Integrator and entwith their subordinate role" (123). en's studies courses in most universi- Computer (ENIAC)and were instru- Statistics on Internet use are even ties around the world during the mental in changing the face of com- more starkly contrasted as girls and 1980s have helped to remedy the puter programming (Petzinger). women have been virtually invisible. glaring omission of half the experi- However, women often participate In a recent survey ofthe World Wide ences of humanity from the reposi- in the early stages of new technologi- Web, of the 4,700 people that re- tory of human information. Dale cal fields, but once a field becomes sponded to questions, about the use Spender reminds us to heed the les- successful and financially viable, ofthe Internet, 94 per cent were male sons of the past when she says, women are excluded from decision- (Pitkow and Recker cited in Carli). making positions. More recent statistics suggest that Despite Ada Love- women are increasing theirparticipa- "We cannot aford to permit white male dominance lace's brilliantcontri- tion on the Internet, but their inclu- of the new communication technohgies. We have butions, sheisseldom sion is halted by dominant male us- mentioned in history. ers. Evidence has shown that women learned that history towomthe perspective of one In fact, there are still who spend time chatting on the net, group distorts ourpast. Wlbether oral) print, or some who claim that or those who attempt to enter its ehctronic media, the issues are access and equity." Ada did not write the subculture have so far met with in- mathematical work timidation ifnot outright harassment that appeared under based solely on their gender (Brail). the more women have put in her name even though her own letters Alook through any edition ofpopu- over the past decades as infor- and notes prove otherwise (Coyle). lar computer magazines such as Wired mation-makers, the more knowl- The exclusion of the ENIAC women's and PC confirms that the media also edgeable and wise the society is stories from computer education fails to recognize or acknowledge able to become. And this is why courses is also a great injustice. And women as part of the computer cul- we simply cannot afford to per- women continue to be left out. In ture. Neither magazine represents mit white male dominance of Stephen Levy's recent book, Hackers: women in prominent roles as users, the new communication tech- Heroes of the Computer Revolution, or consumers of computers and their nologies. We have already the author adheres to the hero myth accessories, nor are they editorially learned that history told from of computer culture by virtually ex- represented as writers and thinkers the perspective of one group dis- cluding women from the field of about new technologies. The media torts our past. Whether it is oral, study. Roberta Williams, the woman thus reinforces women's invisibility manuscript, print or electronic who authored the first computer ad- in the electronic realm. media, the issues are access and venture games while her husband, Furthermore, computer games are equity ifwe want the full story. Ken, ran their computing shop, is notorious for being macho, sexist, We need to democratize infor- referred to only obliquely in the one- and aggressive and marketers eagerly rnation-production if we want . third of the book dedicated to the cater to their almost exclusively male the best possible basis for mak- computer game company she and her audience. ing up our minds and arranging husband ran. In Levy's account, Ro- our community.. (Spender- xxvi) berta is portrayed as a housewife and The computer game is a form of mother whose authorship ofthe popu- virtual virility. The themes are Yet, computer culture was not al- lar games was the least important part hyper-macho and often revolve ways a male domain. In fact, some of of the process (Coyle). around the activities of sports the first computer researchers, pro- and war. They come with names grammers, and experts were women. Men and computer culture like Hardball 4, Front Lines, Augusta , a brilliant Body Count. The ads for Doom mathematician introduced a compu- Gutek and Bikson have suggested 1995's most popular game, read: ter binary system and set the ground- that technology has the potential to "Now there's a place more vio- work for much of the work of pro- serve as a catalyst for change- or it can lent than earth". . . What would grammers later to come. Similarly, rigidly reinforce the status quo. Their games be like if we designed Admiral Grace Hopper was instru- study documents that in the modern them with a female audience in mental in the early development of workplace men have more autonomy mind? Would they be like the computer assembler language. In ad- in their use of technology, and men's Barbie computer game where dition, in 1945 six young women, experiences as users will yield greater Barbiegetsnewoutfits andlearns Marlyn Meltzer, , benefits to their careers. In addition, to be a fashion model? Orwould

90 CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME we conceive of a game where a unpopularity and view the computer vide untold opportunities for com- clever woman saves the world as an asocial tool (AAUW). munication, exchange, and keeping for all human kind? Unfortu- in touch (Spender). Segal posits that nately, even our fantasies for It isn't that they can't do it, and "technology can be used to better women are based on lowered it is not necessarily that they social lives" (41). As technological expectations. (Coyle 48) don't like thesubject. What they skills become increasingly important, turn away from is the image of we must accept the reality of technol- Although we are starting to see the scientist or the computer ogy as a necessary tool to operate in products geared specifically towards hacker. It doesn't fit with their the modern world. In order to fully girls-"pink softwarey'-most pro- notions ofthemselves as women. participate in this modern vision, mote stereotypes. Maria Klawe, an (Spender 173) women must have a role in shaping expert on gender and computers at the future trends and mapping the the University of British Columbia Carol Gilligan suggests that girls direction ofcyberspace. Oncewomen claims that girls do not seek the fast- are not attracted to computer pro- have an equal voice in our evolving paced conquering adventure games gramming because it forces them to society, men and women must iden- that attract boys and instead "view go against their own values and ways tify ways that technology can rein- computers as something to learn of relating. "The demands of pro- force equity and access. with." She adds that what "really gramming, which stress rules and Computer programming and soft- appeals to girls is when they feel winning, are incon~patiblewith so- ware need to become less rigid, linear, they're accomplishing something" cialized female values, such as rela- and task-oriented. To this end, (Newsweek). tional ethics." AAUW'S recent report, progress has been made in the current Although there a few products that How Schools Shortchange Girls, finds trend to create computers that have attempt to create meaninghl soft- that to counteract the societal con- user-friendly, cooperative formats, ware for girls, such as the "Babysitter's structs and notions attached to tech- icon-driven interfaces, and interac- Club" which helps girls to organize nology-related subjects, non-stress- tive programming. Similar efforts are their babysittingschedules, andapro- ful environments must be created. required in the development ofacces- gram called ''Let's Talk About ME!" They reinforce the findings ofa 1986 sible language, more welcoming ter- which is designed as a self-explora- study by Belenky et al. which says minology, and relational-oriented tion tool complete with a diary, per- that, "Successful learning takes place software. sonality quizzes, and honest girlfriend in an atmosphere that enables stu- Many see the Internet as a promis- advice on their changing bodies, more dents to empathetically enter the sub- ing tool to break down the barriers effort needs to be put into designing ject they are studying." Perry and and create a global community. The and creating sohare which meets Greber agree that in order to make Internet also has great educational girls' needs without promoting gen- computer technology more attractive potential for bringing knowledge to der stereotypes. to girls we need to remember that learners in remote parts of the coun- "understanding .. . the socially con- try and the world. As well, activists Why does the gender gap exist? structed nature of computer use re- are encouraged by the Internet as an

Sherry Turkle has been a pioneer in exploring why girls are more "reti- Women must have a role in shaping the fiture cent" towards computers. She sug- trena5 and mapping the direction of cyberspace. gests that girls are uncomfortable in- Once women have an equal voice in our evolving teracting with a machine, particu- larly a machine that has so far been society, men and women must identzfj ways that considered a kind of male toy. Simi- technology can reinforce equity and access. larly, "women [are] put off by com- puter language" that is filled with masculine terminology as users are veals the origins of technophobic re- inexpensive resource for information asked to "command," "control," "exe- actions to be in social systems not in sharing and research. cute," or to "escape" and "crash." machines." Turkle adds that "the design of infor- Equity in technology and mation machines set limits to how How can technology help? education much power people have to bring their own meanings, relationships, Cyberspace has the potential to be The current gender imbalance in ways of responding to computers" egalitarian, to bring everyone into a the workplace and computer sub- (41). As girls grow older they also network arrangement. It has the ca- culture also extends to educational appear to associate computers with pacity to create community, to pro- forums. At the college and university

VOLUME 17, NUMBER 4 levels of education it is clear that about gender in discussions of com- empower a new vision for the ways although women are gaining ground munications and technology is the both women and men can use tech- with respect to science, computer sci- reproduction ofold patterns ofpower nology in the future. ence, and engineering degrees, they and privilege in the social distribu- are still strikingly behind men's ac- tion of power" Uansen 196). In thinking about computer edu- complishments at the higher end level. Judah Schwartz suggests that soci- cationwe must remember afemi- ety has specific expectations of its nist approach is not one that In the United States in recent educational system, that is, the per- tries to "beat the boys at their years, women earned about half sonal growth and development of its own game" but instead is one of all associate degrees in com- citizens, preparing individuals for the that turns the game on its side puter science, more than one- world ofwork, and finally, transmit- and changes the rules. (Perry third of the bachelor's degrees, ting the culture and values ofsociety. and Greber) and 37 per cent and 13 per cent Issues of access and equality are inex- ofMasters and PhDs respectively tricably linked to these goals. To this end, Peggy McIntosh has according to The Chronic& of If we are to fulfil1 this educational juggested a framework that could be HigherEducation. Yet, only seven agenda and create truly successful implemented within schools in order per cent of American universi- learning environments, as educators to incrementally encourage broad ties' and engi- we must encourage students to be revision to current curricula. neering faculty are women. Of thinkers, interpreters, and ethical de- McIntosh's "Interactive Phases of that a meagre three per cent are cision-makers. To promote personal Curricular Revision," outlines an in- tenured. (Wylie 3) growth in our students we should tegrative approach to teaching tech- encourage them to approach each nology education and acts as a useful At the high school level, the statis- new learning situation from multiple conceptual model for teachers. Edu- tics on girls' computer use and inter- perspectives, facilitating their appre- cators should use this framework to est are much less encouraging. ciation of diversity and promoting analyze where it is that they currently effective collaboration. As Hawkins sit within the context of their own Research has shown that girls' reminds us: teaching and as a guide for assessing interest and involvement in how much work is still needed in math, science, and technology Students are awakening to the order to close the gender gap. decline with each year they re- many histories, not just the one Educational revision requires the main in school. Unless the situ- interpretation provided as an efforts ofmany people, and resources, ation can be reversed, girls and immutable set offacts; the many as well as careful planning, organiza- women will face a technological readings of a text as conversa- tion, commitment, andpatience. The gender gap which will have seri- tions between reader and author organizational model I work with ous consequences for their pro- .. . and different ways of know- provides a conceptual plan for how to fessional futures and for the fu- ing that can separate cultures, move beyond the classroom and ap- ture of technology. (NCGS 1) current and historical. (39) proach educational reform from dif- ferent perspectives. Over time, the AAUW'S findings suggest that gen- This awakening appreciation of goal of this outline is to encourage der differences in science and techno- complexity and perspective is essen- thinking about all of the factors and logical achievement are not being tial to the understanding ofhow tech- perspectives that should be involved addressed by educational systems. nology has influenced our society and in a plan to revise the educational Further, their report attempts to in- how girls have been constructed as system and to meet our evolving vite and inspire action when it claims "computer deficient." Equality and needs. that we are currently experiencing a access are not inherent, but rather There are specific strategies that "gender gap our nation can no longer fought for and won. As educators, we can be introduced to reduce the gen- afford to ignore." are responsible for including thewom- der imbalance while promoting per- Educational reform requires sus- en's contributions-past and pre- sonal growth. Specifically girls need tained reflection and critical conver- sent-to technology in our courses, to be educated about computers and sation about how technology becomes for educating young people about given an opportunity to become fa- gendered and how we can reform technology's evolving social impact, miliar with how they work and how current educational practices to break and for teaching girls and boys how they can best be utilized. Teachers the cycle. I believe that it is our re- to use of technology bearing their could offer after-school clubs, com- sponsibility as educators to recognize different needs in mind. There must puter camps, andlor enrichment pro- and accept that these inequities exist. be a conscious movement to de-con- grams specifically targeted for girls. As Jansen reminds us, there is an struct outdated, patriarchal notions These extracurricular opportunities "absence of critical consciousness of technology and who uses it and may provide girls with an chance to

CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME become familiar with computers in a use in the classroom. Girls need to be bridge, MA: Harvard University non-stressful environment, as well as taught to not only become familiar Press, 1982. to "catch up" to boys experience lev- with the existing uses ofthecomputer Hawkins, J. "Dilemmas." Education els. Furthermore, teachers should re- but also be encouraged to make their andtechnology:Refitions on a Dec- frain from using gender inappropri- own creative decisions about how ade of&perience in the Chssroom. ate software in the classroom, that is, computers could be used in relation Ed. C. Fisher. San Francisco: software that is targetedonly for boys. to their own lives. All of these strate- Jossey-Bass, 1996. As well, teachers could teach the his- gies bring girls closer to technology as Jansen, S. C. "Gender and the Infor- tory of computers and programming well as draw us one step closer to mation Society: A Socially Struc- and include the contributions of achieving our educational goals. This tured Silence." Journalof Commu- women so that boys and girls receive is an exciting time in the field of nications 39.3 (1989): 196-21 5. an unbiased understanding of how technology and education, together McIntosh, P. "Interactive Phases of technologies were developed and by we can ensure that women are equal Curricular Revision." Toward a whom. Finally, teachers should allow partners in the discovery, planning, Balanced Curricu1um:ASourcebook a greater variety of intellectual styles and benefits of cyberspace. for Initiating Gender Integration to flourish in relation to computer Projects. Rochester, m: Schenken, Denise M. Shortt has recent& com- 1984.25-34. pleted a Master of Education degree National Coalition of Girls' Schools from the Haruard Graduate School of (NCGS). "Girls and Technology." MICHELE LEAR Education with a concentration in Tech- National Science Foundation. nology in Education. She is currently Newsweek, October 28 1996. End of the Affair living in Toronto and is about to begin Perry, R., and C. Greber. "Women research on a gender and technology and Computers: An Introduction." anthology in association with M~TPro- Si'ns: Journal of Women in Culture fessor Sherry Turkle. andsociety 16.1 (1990): 74-101. Petzinger Jr., Thomas. "The Front What's been lost: References Lines." Wall Street Journal 15 No- footsteps after dark, vember 1996. soft steps to a bed American Association of University Schwartz, J. "Can Technology Help ringed with memories Women. (AAUW). How School's Us Make the Mathematics Cur- more important than itself, Shortchange Girls. New York: riculum Intellectually Stimulating though Marlowe and Company, 1995. and Socially Responsible?" ICME 8 smaller. Belenky, M. F., et al. Women? Ways uuiy 1996). of Knowing: The Development of Segal, H. P. "The American Ideology This should not end in SelJf Body, andtheMind. New York: offechnological Progress: Histori- brass bangs into soft plaster, Basic Books, 1986. cal Perspectives." Technology and softer for your wear, Brail, S. "The Price of Admission: the Future of Schooling in America. her silence. Harassment and Free Speech in Ed. S.T. Kerr. Chicago: University Her, your willing the Wild, Wild West." Wired of Chicago Press, 1996. 28-48. accomplice. Women: Gender and New Realities Spender, D. Nattering on the Net: in Cyberspace. Eds. L. Cherny, etal. Women, Power and Cyberspace. Is this possible? Seattle: Seal Press, 1996. 141-157. North Melbourne: Spinifex, 1995. That time would Camp, Jean L. "We Are Geeks, and Turkle, S. "Computational Reti- ease We Are Not Guys: The Systers cence: Why Women Fear the Inti- the walk straight down the Mailing List." Wired Women: Gen- mate Machine." Technology and garden path, derandNew Realities in Cyberspace. Women's Voices. Ed. Cheris the blame, the guilt, Eds. L. Cherny, et al. Seattle: Seal Kramarae. London: Routledge freeing loss of desire. Press, 1996. 114-121. and Kegan Paul, 1988. Carli, D. "A Designer's Guide to the Wylie, M. "No Place For Women." Internet." Step by Step Graphics Digital Media 4.8 (January 1995). (Nov.-Dec. 1994): 27. Coyle, K. "How Hard Can it Be?" Wired Women: Gender and New Realities in Cyberspace. Eds. L. Michele Lear's work has been published in Cherny, et al. Seattle: Seal Press, the Newfoundland Quarterly, Wayz- 1996.42-55. goose, and Generations. Gilligan, C. Ina Different Voice. Cam-

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